Apple Developer

Apple Developer, formerly Apple Developer Connection or ADC, is Apple Inc.'s developer network. It is designed to make available resources to help software developers write software for the Mac OS X and iOS platforms.^[1] The cost is US$99/year per developer program.

Benefits of membership

• Support from Apple engineers - Apple Developer Program members are eligible to receive help such as technical support and code support, directly from Apple engineers in their products.
• Apple Developer Library - The Apple Developer reference library provides developer news, technology releases, and technical information. As well, it provides Apple-authored technical documentation, a wide range of Software Development Kits, tools, and sample code.
• Access to prerelease software - Another notable feature of the Apple Developer Program is the ability to receive prerelease software, most importantly prerelease versions of Apple's own operating system, as well as other Apple software. Apple products are regularly seeded whenever a build occurs.
• Invitations to exclusive workshops - Apple Developers receive invitations to exclusive workshops, and conferences about the latest technologies. Generally, the workshop is a demonstration of the latest Apple technology done by an Apple engineer.
• iPhone SDK - Apple Developers can download the iPhone SDK in order to write applications targeting iOS. The iPhone SDK is available in all Apple Developer accounts, including free memberships.
• Compatibility testing - The Apple Developer Program provides compatibility testing for new Applications. The compatibility testing centers are located in Cupertino, California; Tokyo, Japan; and Beijing, China. At the Cupertino campus alone, there are three separate labs which collectively have hundreds of Mac configurations, with several different third party peripherals.
• Listing on the App Store - Apple Developer Program members are able to submit their applications to the Mac or iOS App Store, where they can either publish their application for free, or sell their product to end-users.

Apple Developer Programs

Apple Developer offers both free and paid programs. Free programs include a basic Apple Developer account and the Safari Developer Program, while paid plans include the iOS Developer Program and the Mac Developer Program. Paid memberships are for one year, and are renewable at the same price as originally purchased. Alternate versions of these programs targeted towards universities and enterprises are also available.^[2]

• Safari Developer Program - The Safari Developer Program is free, and allows members to develop extensions for Apple's Safari web browser.
• Mac Developer Program - The Mac Developer Program replaces the prior ADC Student, Select, and Premier programs, and costs $99/year.
• iOS Developer Program - The iOS Developer Program provides Apple Developer resources focused around iOS development, and costs $99/year.

Software leaks

There have been several leaks of secret Apple software through the prerelease program, most notably the Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger leaks, in which Apple sued three men who allegedly leaked Mac OS X 10.4 prerelease builds to BitTorrent.^[3]

OS X Lion was leaked several times as well. However, to combat this issue Apple installed an alert system in the preview builds, alerting them if the preview build was uploaded to a BitTorrent system.

References

1. ^ Apple, Inc. (2011). Apple Developer. Retrieved on 2011-05-01.
2. ^ "Apple Developer Programs - Apple Developer". Apple. http://developer.apple.com/programs/. Retrieved 2011-05-01. 
3. ^ Fried, Ina (2004-12-21). "Apple sues over loose Tiger". CNET News.com. http://news.com.com/Apple+sues+over+loose+Tiger/2100-1047_3-5500034.html. 

External links

• Apple Developer website
• Apple's bug reporting website