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iOS How To Test iPad Application On iPad Without Paying A Developers Fee?

R

rs14smith

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 7, 2009
144
2
Hi all,

I just programmed my first application, and I'm curious about what needs to be done so that I can test my app on my iPad 2 without having to pay the developers fee which I believe is $99?

I don't want to pay that fee until I'm 100% satisfied with my app and I'm ready to put it in the app store. Is there a way to do this without jailbreaking your iPad?
 
The only way to test native apps on a stock OS iPad yourself is by enrolling in the $99 iOS Developer program with Apple. The developer fee is cheap compared to the price of your Mac and iPad 2.

Maybe some other enrolled developer, using your iPad's UDID, can build an Ad Hoc app for you from your source code on their Mac.
 
firewood said:
The only way to test native apps on a stock OS iPad yourself is by enrolling in the $99 iOS Developer program with Apple. The developer fee is cheap compared to the price of your Mac and iPad 2.

Maybe some other enrolled developer, using your iPad's UDID, can build an Ad Hoc app for you from your source code on their Mac.
Click to expand...

Well from my understanding, you have to pay this fee every year?

If so, that's where it doesn't make sense to me. If my app is not fully ready to be distributed, why would anyone want to pay a fee just to test their own app on their own iPad?

You are right, it's cheap compared to what I paid for my iPad, however, for what I want to do, paying $99 just to test something really quick is a bit ridiculous. There should be different options available. If you just want to test apps, only pay $1.00 per year :)
 
rs14smith said:
Well from my understanding, you have to pay this fee every year?
Click to expand...

Yes. Renewed on same date every year.


If so, that's where it doesn't make sense to me. If my app is not fully ready to be distributed, why would anyone want to pay a fee just to test their own app on their own iPad?

You are right, it's cheap compared to what I paid for my iPad, however, for what I want to do, paying $99 just to test something really quick is a bit ridiculous. There should be different options available. If you just want to test apps, only pay $1.00 per year :)
Click to expand...
No one here can do anything about implementing that idea.

If you're serious, then tell the people who can:
http://developer.apple.com/bugreporter
 
rs14smith said:
If so, that's where it doesn't make sense to me.
Click to expand...

It makes perfect sense. Apple sells the iPad at a $100 discount to non-developers. Pay Apple the rest of the full price to get a developer unlock code for one year.

Bonus! You can use your dev certificate on 99 other devices. So it's only $1 per device! (Per year.) Just buy a ton more iPads. Apple will be quite happy to sell them to you.

It's a great deal, and since Apple is making a ton of money (way over 100K developers at $99 a head per annum), they aren't likely to give that revenue away just for the asking. Might as well ask them for a free Ferrari.
 
firewood said:
It makes perfect sense. Apple sells the iPad at a $100 discount to non-developers. Pay Apple the rest of the full price to get a developer unlock code for one year.

Bonus! You can use your dev certificate on 99 other devices. So it's only $1 per device! (Per year.) Just buy a ton more iPads. Apple will be quite happy to sell them to you.

It's a great deal, and since Apple is making a ton of money (way over 100K developers at $99 a head per annum), they aren't likely to give that revenue away just for the asking. Might as well ask them for a free Ferrari.
Click to expand...

lol, that makes no sense if I only want to test an app. You should only have to pay if you are ready to place your app in the iTunes App store or if you just want special access to the new up coming OSs. I can't think of many other platforms that you have to "pay" to test your program/app that you developed on that platform.

My purpose at the moment is only to "test" my apps, nothing more, nothing less. Paying $99 just to do that is absurd...:rolleyes:
 
robbieduncan said:
Really? Where can I buy one of these discounted iPads from?
Click to expand...

Any Apple retail store. $499 for a base model iPad 2 is the discount price without developer privileges (since you already paid for those).

They hide that fact from the ignorant masses (such as the OP who thought he got a fully useful device). They hide that fact that the retail product is useless (for any real computer person). Sort of like selling a razor a low cost without enough blades. Or a printer with a half empty ink cartridge. Same thing. Caveat Emptor.

If you are a programmer, then the real price is $499 + $99/annum. The OP hasn't paid yet, so is stuck with a useless iPad. Maybe his grandma can use it for a door stop (and web browsing, and games, and music, and photos, and ...)
 
firewood said:
Any Apple retail store. $499 for a base model iPad 2 is the discount price without developer privileges (since you already paid for those).

They hide that fact from the ignorant masses (such as the OP who thought he got a fully useful device). They hide that fact that the retail product is useless (for any real computer person). Sort of like selling a razor a low cost without enough blades. Or a printer with a half empty ink cartridge. Same thing. Caveat Emptor.

If you are a programmer, then the real price is $499 + $99/annum. The OP hasn't paid yet, so is stuck with a useless iPad. Maybe his grandma can use it for a door stop (and web browsing, and games, and music, and photos, and ...)
Click to expand...

Eh? The iPad does everything it is advertised to do out of the box. It's not useless. I know plenty of "real computer" people (professional developers with >10 years experience each) who don't consider them useless.
 
Most development kits cost in the region of 100's to 1000's of dollars. the iOS 4 SDK costs $5. There's your cheap entry point.
If your app is ready for testing, it's not far off releasing, at which point you'd be paying the $100 anyway.

So, instead of a few thousand up front, they have asked $5 for the SDK, and then when you are ready, and with no obligation, $100 for them to test, host and distribute it. Nice deal.
 
robbieduncan said:
Eh? The iPad does everything it is advertised to do out of the box. It's not useless.
Click to expand...

Mostly useless for a real computer programmer.

Until you pay the $99.

Then you can run any software you develop, or for which you have source code, on the device.

The adverts on the box are worded for grandma and the FTC lawyers to hide the fact that it's a massively powerful computer (comparable to even the fastest national lab supercomputers on the planet from just a couple decades ago).

Crippled until you pay Apple another $99/annum (assuming you run Apple's stock OS).
 
Only thing bothering me on iPad's/iPhone's coming straight from the box from the store, is that Multi-Gestures aren't enabled, and u can't enable them untill u use Xcode to make it "Use For development", not untill then (running 4.x or later) can u use the multi gestures. which sux for people who don't have a mac around..
Just saying.
 
rs14smith said:
My purpose at the moment is only to "test" my apps, nothing more, nothing less. Paying $99 just to do that is absurd...:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Don't underestimate the importance of testing. It's a critical phase in the development of your app and not something you casually 'just' do when you think you've finished your development efforts. Your app has the potential to be rolled out to an extremely large number of users, and so full and thorough testing is essential.

Forking out $99 now will enable you to identify issues that will be missed in the emulator, and will save you (and the future users of your app) a whole lot of time and frustrations further down the road.

RTP.
 
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