iPhone® Application Development All-In-One For Dummies®

Chapter 3. Enlisting in the Developer Corps

In This Chapter

• Registering as a developer

• Exploring the iPhone Dev Center

• Installing the Software Development Kit (SDK)

• Looking at the whys and hows of joining the Developer Program

Benjamin Franklin's famous Join, or Die political cartoon of the 1760s could well be applied to Apple's role in today's mobile software industry. You can't gain independence on your own; you need the powerful movement of a large group. Apple needs developers, and developers need Apple.

For sure, you can develop your applications independently, and for other platforms (which is the topic of other books), but many of those platforms offer immature Software Development Kits and little or no support. What's more, you could develop for a number of platforms and then watch your product die in a diffused marketplace.

Apple is clearly on a mission with the iPhone and the App Store ecosystem to change the user experience, and you have to join (or die). No, you won't automatically turn into an Apple fanboy (but it doesn't hurt to be one, either). You will be supported with a robust Software Development Kit, comprehensive information, and reliable support.

Most importantly, you must join if you want to develop apps for the iPhone. You have to follow Apple's policies and procedures. Although the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) is free, you have to register as an iPhone developer first. Registering also gives you access to all the documentation and other resources found ...