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avtutorials
avtutorials
Known Participant
February 2, 2012
Question

Important: A Mac is required to produce iOS apps for the Apple App Store

  • February 2, 2012
  • 3 replies
  • 3211 views

Another user asked if a Mac was required.  This is a sufficiently important topic, and I'm repeating my answer here for that reason.

-----------------------------------------

My equipment in this world: a Windows 7 PC and an iPod Touch 4. So, I asked myself the same question.

I read iOS Development With Flash, by Dolce (Visual Blueprint publishing). The book is about a year old, so some screenshots are out-of-date, because Apple changed things since the publishing. The book is excellent, though. It walks you through the entire process of creating an iOS app, especially for Windows users.

Here's the bottom line:

- Using Windows, you can do the development using Flash CS5.5.

- Using Windows,you can generate the certificates, provisioning files, etc. (it's not simple, but it's not hard).

- You have to have an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad to test your app on.

- Using Windows, you can use iTunes to transfer your app file from your PC to your device for testing.

- Using Windows, you can use iTunesConnect (the website that lets you specify all your app details to Apple for their App Store).

- YOU CANNOT UPLOAD YOUR APP FILE TO THE APP STORE WITHOUT A MAC!!!

Previously, Apple allowed you to upload your app using iTunesConnect, the website. THEY REMOVED THAT CAPABILITY.

Now, you must use Apple's Application Uploader (or whatever it's called) to upload your app file to the App Store (and, remember that Apple has to approve your app before they put it on their App Store).

The only way to get the Application Uploader, if I understand correctly, is to install the Apple Developer SDK. And, you can only install that SDK on a Mac.

So, this seems to be the last-ditch effort by Apple to force you to have a Mac to send your final app file to them for review and hopeful publishing on the the App Store.

If anyone knows otherwise, please correct this info.

This topic has been closed for replies.

3 replies

MJD1981
MJD1981
Inspiring
February 9, 2012

Apple have conceded to me that the system requirements are indeed Snow Leopard now, and will no doubt become Lion as iBrent suggests. I just wish I would stop seeing "10.5.3" fraudulently paraded in the literature.

MJD1981
MJD1981
Inspiring
February 8, 2012

Not only a Mac but a specific Mac! I sought out one with OS X 10.5.6 based on the supposed minimum requirements of 10.5.3, and now I'm being told I need to upgrade to 10.6.8 every step of the way. My question now is how much can I achieve on Leopard instead of Snow Leopard? Is there an older version of Application Loader that will work?

I've had my finished IPAs for weeks now, and the effort that's going into simply uploading them is extraordinary.

A
Anonymous
February 8, 2012

Apple has a way of complicating everything, there is no reason why we should be going through these hoops to upload a self contained ipa file. This could all be done through a web portal or an ftp loader like all the android markets do now. But to actually answer your question, yes you should be able to do this through an older version of application loader, at work we use a mac from about 4 years ago with whatever system was around back then and we are still able to upload with it.

MJD1981
MJD1981
Inspiring
February 8, 2012

Apple's official advice is to download the latest SDK, which is yet another step that's not possible with Leopard. I understand SDK 3.1 is as far as that goes, and you don't start seeing the Application Loader until 3.2. Can anyone correct me on that before I waste a few hours downloading an SDK that won't work???

A
Anonymous
February 3, 2012

Cant you get a mac simulator on your PC something like Boot Camp or the windows equivelent of it. I too develop on PC and that is the only thing I use a mac for, no plans for buying one either.

avtutorials
avtutorialsAuthor
Known Participant
February 3, 2012

Mark, I'm not sure.  I'm not familiar with Boot Camp, or how to get a Mac simulator enabled on a Windows PC.  That's yet more learning curve and time, and I'd just as soon give Steve Jobs another $1,300 for one of his computers to make it "easy."

T
TenchyMyo
Inspiring
February 3, 2012

I develop apps for iPhone/iPad and Android, a buddy of mine upload the apps to these places. He's using a PC with Windows 7 and a Mac emulator. So you DO NOT need a mac to develop apps or upload them to the store. But most people think you do so Apple makes tons of money of off people buying macs

Just google it, that's what I did when I found out there's a mac emulator for PC that can upload the apps, then told my buddy who handled it....

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