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Apple Ups DTK Mac Mini Return Credit to $500 After Developer Complaints
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Apple caved in to the social media pressure of the entitled minded. I don't see that as a good thing.
Buying the tools you need is part and parcel of any job - regardless if you need it for an hour or a year.
If your software is that popular that updating it to native ARM literally could not wait until retail machines are out in the wild then your company is probably doing alright already from sales.
Completely agree. Bowing to the social masses after already throwing some unexpected goodies in their direction sets a bad precedent IMHO, not just in the case of Apple, but society in general.
It's like throwing the homeless guy some coins and he's like - "what, no notes?"
The amount is generally under NDA, but north of $500. Generally the hardware you can develop on is way different than what consumers use(different logic boards, cases, etc). A lot of that hardware is never expected to be returned because it is the only way to write software(devs keep it to make games for years).
That’s a lightning quick decision for a huge company - and a good one too.
Quite simply greed has become institutionalized to the point many feel very entitled to overuse/abuse other people for their benefit. Comments trashing the developers are coming from that point of view. I could go on but it would take an act of god to break people’s selfish programming.
This is why we can’t have nice things. And fanboy mentality in full display. Cruelty over humanity.
Recouping the cost of DTK rent fee is the least thing Apple should do to at least not anger developers.
Yes, Apple should have always treated this as a free lease upon security deposit, and a $500 coupon gets pretty close to that, so I think they finally did the right thing.
That being said, it is more than fair to criticize the manner in which people complain. Complaints from a place of assumed entitlement are insufferable and unacceptable. You can easily get what you want (whether or not you deserve it) by being assertive, yet cordial. One need not defend Apple to point this out. Some complaints were very constructive (e.g. saying Apple should step up being that DTKs were rife with technical issues, support was poor, etc.) and some were whiny, beyond useless, and should have been ignored (“Apple gave free iMacs in 2006 after Intel DTKs were returned and we again deserve to get more back than we put in”).
What, as in "Wah! I want free stuff that I was never promised, as a reward for abiding by the contract I voluntarily signed, and anybody who disagrees with me is greedy!" ..?
Just a reminder of what was actually offered:
As part of the program, you’ll have limited access to a Developer Transition Kit (DTK), which will be shipped to you, for developing and testing your Universal apps. The DTK is owned by Apple and must be returned.
macOS - Apple Developer
Learn about the cutting-edge new features of macOS that you can use to build powerful apps and compelling games.
...that was at the bottom of the front page, in large friendly letters, not buried in the T&Cs. The T&Cs themselves (a mere 5 pages, not some bible-sized EULA) clearly say that you have to return the DTK whenever Apple asks. How some developers (who should have an iota of business/legal savvy) got the impression that they were buying, or even renting, a stable and reliable bit of kit for 12 months is beyond belief. If Apple failed to deliver what they actually promised then you may have a grievance with Apple, but don't get that mixed up with people who think that they deserve a free Mac.
No one says they deserve a free Mac. If they paid $500 to "rent" it, then they should get their money back upon return, especially since Apple will scrap these things anyways, as they have no real value anymore. The money will still eventually wind up at Apple, so everyone wins.What, as in "Wah! I want free stuff that I was never promised, as a reward for abiding by the contract I voluntarily signed, and anybody who disagrees with me is greedy!" ..?
Just a reminder of what was actually offered:
As part of the program, you’ll have limited access to a Developer Transition Kit (DTK), which will be shipped to you, for developing and testing your Universal apps. The DTK is owned by Apple and must be returned.
macOS - Apple Developer
Learn about the cutting-edge new features of macOS that you can use to build powerful apps and compelling games.developer.apple.com
...that was at the bottom of the front page, in large friendly letters, not buried in the T&Cs. The T&Cs themselves (a mere 5 pages, not some bible-sized EULA) clearly say that you have to return the DTK whenever Apple asks. How some developers (who should have an iota of business/legal savvy) got the impression that they were buying, or even renting, a stable and reliable bit of kit for 12 months is beyond belief. If Apple failed to deliver what they actually promised then you may have a grievance with Apple, but don't get that mixed up with people who think that they deserve a free Mac.
For any established developer it’s obviously not but there are so many small indie developers out there. Yes, for them $500 is a lot of money that they need to make back.
But Apple never promised anything, developers voluntarily paid it so they aren’t in a position to *demand* anything back.
At that point you had to be a Select or Premier Apple Developer Connect (ADC) member (which meant you were paying at least $500/yr to Apple) and the DTK cost $1000. The iMac people got in return had a (starting) price of $1300.
So I guess, for you to be happy, Apple should have charged more for 2020 DTK such that the amount would have covered the price of an M1 Mac.
Probably just that they don’t want a machine potentially in arbitrary circulation that was never intended to have long term support. They have even said it won’t get updates beyond Big Sur 11.2.
Well, the good thing is that Apple saw sense in the end and is better off for it. Wise move. Good lesson. Hopefully, they will keep peace and not fleece their golden geese.What, as in "Wah! I want free stuff that I was never promised, as a reward for abiding by the contract I voluntarily signed, and anybody who disagrees with me is greedy!" ..?
Just a reminder of what was actually offered:
As part of the program, you’ll have limited access to a Developer Transition Kit (DTK), which will be shipped to you, for developing and testing your Universal apps. The DTK is owned by Apple and must be returned.
macOS - Apple Developer
Learn about the cutting-edge new features of macOS that you can use to build powerful apps and compelling games.
...that was at the bottom of the front page, in large friendly letters, not buried in the T&Cs. The T&Cs themselves (a mere 5 pages, not some bible-sized EULA) clearly say that you have to return the DTK whenever Apple asks. How some developers (who should have an iota of business/legal savvy) got the impression that they were buying, or even renting, a stable and reliable bit of kit for 12 months is beyond belief. If Apple failed to deliver what they actually promised then you may have a grievance with Apple, but don't get that mixed up with people who think that they deserve a free Mac.
Great suggestion. Perhaps include a virtual machine in with annual the developer program.
"So instead of the 200 USD credit that expires in May, we are giving you a 500 USD Apple credit and extending the time you can use it to get a new M1 Mac through the end of the year. If you already purchased a new M1 Mac, the Apple credit gives you the flexibility to purchase any Apple product to help with your app development work."
I already have an M1 MacBook Air, so it appears I can use the credit towards any Apple product before 2022.