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iPhone Development On Windows: Technologies That Can Help

windows-8-iconApplication development is a very popular business and if your luck shines, you can make millions by selling your apps to smartphone and tablet users worldwide. There are a number of mobile OS platforms out there but when it comes to popularity and profitability, iOS stands tall over all others. Apple’s App Store is a heaven for expert developers. You can build a unique app, decide the price and submit it on the App Store to make your creation available to millions of iPhone/iPod and iPad users.

However, right now, there is no official solution for developing for the iPhone SDK on Windows. Therefore, you have to assemble your app on the official iPhone SDK running on Mac OS X. This information may dishearten many developers because majority of computer owners have a Windows powered PC, not Mac.

Does this mean a Windows computer user can never create an iOS app? Although there is no iOS SDK Windows edition, there are a few ways to develop a custom iPhone app on Windows. Let me explain the Windows options for iPhone development.

Flash CS5.5

This has become an ideal solution with its Flash iPhone Packager. It allows you to compile apps on the Windows platform. If you are already using Flash, Apple’s latest policy will make you very happy. The apps perform properly; however, don’€™t expect to run high performance games. The good thing is that you don’€™t need a Mac to manage the development work. If you are worried about not having Adobe’€™s official Flash solution, let me inform you that even without Flash CS5.5, you can perform compilation with the Flex compiler and package your apps for iPhone. Just make sure that you do not disobey the guidelines laid by Apple.

Airplay SDK

Game developers can utilize this as it allows them to build games and sign the apps on Windows computers. Airplay SDK, which is also known as Marmalade SDK, can be used for creating both 2D and 3D games. It can compile the native iPhone codes on your Windows PC. In fact, some of the already available apps on App Store are created using the Marmalade SDK.

Unity 3D

This is a game development editor and engine that uses Boo and C#. Unity 3D works on both Windows and Mac computers.

Stonetrip S3D

This is another game development engine and editor. Stonetrip S3D uses LUA and runs within Windows. Both Unity 3D and Stonetrip S3D let you develop any game on Windows but for compilation and testing, you must have a Mac.

Appcelerator Titanium

This is a reliable, popular solution backed by a large community of developers. However, apps created using this solution don’€™t provide desired performance because they are made using HTML/Javascript.

Genuitec MobiOne

This is a user interface designing platform. Genuitec MobiOne uses Phonegap framework to deliver native functionality. It works on Windows PCs only.

Although, Appcelerator Titanium and Genuitec MobiOne are both free solutions but you will need a Mac for compilation and testing work. These two frameworks let you create apps using HTML/CSS/Javascript and then you run the apps through an Objective-C framework that reacts to actions within a UIWebView. As a result, you get access to native functionality on the iPhone.

Dragonfire SDK

Dragonfire allows you to develop custom apps using their SDK. All you need to do is upload your code for compilation on their server. They will compile the codes for you and after their work is done, you can download the compiled iOS app.

There are some other solutions available in the market as well. However, most of them are not really helpful and reliable, and that is why I have not included them in this article. If you don’€™t want to invest money in a new Mac, then my suggestion is, stick to Airplay SDK or Appcelerator and find a friend who owns a Mac.

Written By

Manmaya Mehta is a technology enthusiast working with Cygnet Infotech, well-known for mobile app development. We are specialized in iPhone app Development, Android app development and Windows phone app development.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. myles

    August 14, 2013 at 4:02 pm

    WOW iphone development on windows sounds cool. THough i do not have much knowledge about it. thanks for the share

  2. harshi

    August 15, 2013 at 11:21 am

    Thats really hell lot knowledgeable ! isnt it ? awesome post author!

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