[aprssig] APRS for IPad

[Steve Dimse]

Look, Apple or Android is a choice, which you have only because of the success of the iPhone. Personally, I want to have a device which works great, is protected from malware, and which won't be left with obsolete software in a year.

I don't want to get into an iOS vs. Android war, but some of what is being said is simply wrong.

> Not to mention that the ONLY way to get an application into an iDevice is via the Apple store.  

Not true. Besides the fact that any developer can put their apps onto their own devices, a developer can send a certificate and their app to users. The certificate expires when the developer's certificate expires, so you need to send a new one to users periodically, but it can be done. If, say, OpenAPRS wanted to be really open and distribute its app's source code then anyone can get a developer license and load it onto their own devices.
> 
> Even if you want to give the application away for FREE to end users, it costs the developer thousands of dollars in charges for specialized development tools, yearly charges for access to the Apple Store, etc.  And that's after you pay to submit the app to Apple for approval before it goes live in the store, with no certainty that it will be approved.

Totally wrong. The development software is free, though it does run on Macs only, (you can buy a new Macbook Air for under a grand, and used ones for much less). With the software you can develop and run apps on the simulator. To place apps on an actual device requires a certificate which comes with the developer license. Anyone can become a developer for $99 a year. There is no charge to submit an app to the app store. If you charge for the app Apple keeps 30% of what people pay through the app store, if you give it away Apple charges nothing. There have been cases where Apple rejects apps, but because they violate the rules laid out in the developer agreement. In the beginning those rules were not fully developed and there was grinding and gnashing of teeth, but the rules are quite clear now and are applied consistently.
> 
> Charges like these are not too significant for mainstream consumer or business apps that will sell a significant number of copies, but are a MAJOR obstacle to low-budget part-time hobbyist-type developers in a niche field like APRS.

If you don't have a Mac and can't afford $500 to buy a used one, and if you can't afford $99 a year then yes, you can't be a developer on iOS. But I would not call that a MAJOR obstacle.

The iPhone and iPad are not intended as hacking toys, they are intended as user tools. If you want to play with phones and tablets Android is probably a better choice for you. Personally my phone is too important to my life to want anything but the most useful device, and for me that is iOS. YMMV. 

Steve K4HG