making a app do i need a mac

antbann

hi,

can anyone tell me if i need a mac to make apple apps?

cheers

iceblue24

i dont think so. im pretty sure you can download a free emulator and run your program through that. see here for info http://www.emulators.com/softmac.htm

triggerhappy_2

If you're trying to make iOS apps, yes you do. If you're making OSX apps then in theory you could code them on a PC, but then how would you compile/test them?

I suspect that if you're not sure about this then you probably don't have the right skills to create an app from scratch. If it's something very simple, you could try using something like AppMakr but you will still need access to a Mac, and you'll have to pay to use the service.

If you have a really good idea for an app, you're probably best taking on a freelance programmer to do the work for you.

triggerhappy_2

iceblue24 wrote: »

i dont think so. im pretty sure you can download a free emulator and run your program through that. see here for info http://www.emulators.com/softmac.htm

You'll need a minimum of OSX for this sort of thing - that emulator is running OS8.1 which is over ten years old... pretty much the Mac equivalent of Windows '98. Even if you could find an emulator for OSX, it's extremely unlikely to be able to cope with creating apps. Ever tried to use an emulator for more than just clicking on things? Trying to code something complicated on one would be the stuff of nightmares.

jayme1

to make an app for iOS devices (iphone/ipod touch) yes you have to have a mac to use the iOS SDK.

to write an app for the mac app store then I guess you could use something other than a mac if you can get software that can code for mac apps for windows/linux pcs (because it would be nothing more than a lump of code, because the mac app store is basically nothing more than a store for the apps you can already get on the internet) but you would still require a mac for testing said app.

also depending on what type of app you are making, an HTML5 web app might be better as it would be fully cross platform and it would only require one update on the website to update it on all devices (also it wouldnt be subjected to apples strict nanny filtering)

triggerhappy_2

jayme1 wrote: »

also depending on what type of app you are making, an HTML5 web app might be better as it would be fully cross platform and it would only require one update on the website to update it on all devices (also it wouldnt be subjected to apples strict nanny filtering)

This is a good idea, particularly if you're not an experienced Apple developer.

diable

If you have an idea for an app then work with a developer and just split the profits.