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Cheapest option for xcode development

I

ios28

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 19, 2012
3
0
I am interesting in getting into ios development but currently do not own a mac. What would my best option be around the 500-600 dollar range. From what I have seen its looking like a 2008 mbp unibody.

Also you do not need the developers account to code just to put apps on the app store,correct?

Thanks in advance.
 
Do you have to have a laptop? You could get a Mac Mini for that price range. Just brainstorming.

Also you do not need the developers account to code just to put apps on the app store,correct?
Click to expand...
Correct. But I believe you also need a developer's account to test on a physical device (e.g. iPhone or iPod Touch). So without a developer account, you're left with only the emulator (which is pretty powerful though).
 
Hey, thanks a lot for the response. I thought about the mac mini but with the monitor,keyboard and mouse I figured it would end up out of my price range. Also I guess the developer fee is a necessity.
 
Okay so the non unibodys work as well? I really do favor the unibody design however,just not sure if that would be my best option.
 
ios28 said:
Also you do not need the developers account to code just to put apps on the app store,correct?
Click to expand...

Without a developer account you can write apps and test them with the emulator.

You need a developer account if you want to test on an actual device or put your apps on the app store. You also need one for testing if you are using features the emulator doesn't support, like multitouch or the accelerometers.
 
You should avoid machines that can't run Mountain Lion. It would be a shame to buy a machine now to do iOS development only to find in a mere 6 months you can no longer run the current version of OSX.

I've been looking at options to replace my white early 2008 Macbook. It's running fine but it won't run ML (without hacking). I've found current gen MBP in the refurb store for 15% off retail. That's probably the best deal because current gen MBP is a LOT faster than 2010 or older MBP. Again, you don't need the latest MBP to run xcode but you do need to be careful to avoid models with older Intel graphics (3100 and the like) or you won't be able to run ML when it comes out.
 
Personally I would use a mac mini. Also, you can test apps on a jailbroken device (I think most devices, if not all can currently be jailbroken). Forgive me if I am not allowed to say that on this forum though. But you will need to pay to submit an app to the app store.
 
djdover said:
Personally I would use a mac mini. Also, you can test apps on a jailbroken device (I think most devices, if not all can currently be jailbroken). Forgive me if I am not allowed to say that on this forum though. But you will need to pay to submit an app to the app store.
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Do you have to have a dev account to use xCode?

Thanks
 
Liquinn said:
Do you have to have a dev account to use xCode?

Thanks
Click to expand...

You have to be a registered developer, yes, but it is free. Only if you want to publish your apps on the App Store or test them on a physical device do you need a paid account.

I'd suggest a MacBook Pro for XCode, maybe a late 2008 one. I had one and used it for coding an experimental app and it worked well. Upgrade to 8GBs of RAM though, it helps. (The late 08 MBPs can take 8GBs, even though Apple officialy says they can't.)
 
cambookpro said:
You have to be a registered developer, yes, but it is free. Only if you want to publish your apps on the App Store or test them on a physical device do you need a paid account.

I'd suggest a MacBook Pro for XCode, maybe a late 2008 one. I had one and used it for coding an experimental app and it worked well. Upgrade to 8GBs of RAM though, it helps. (The late 08 MBPs can take 8GBs, even though Apple officialy says they can't.)
Click to expand...
I'll perhaps look into this more when I have my 2012 Macbook Pro. Thanks :p
 
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