[jankins]

Even if the stats were correct, it wouldn't make any difference to me as an iOS developer. The author seems to suggest iOS development is apple-win and developer-lose. Which might be the case if iOS were not an in-demand skill.

But as a developer, your own income is obviously not limited to what you can make on your own apps, and since diving into iOS six months ago my income has far exceeded any investment i've made in the platform. Mostly through making apps for other people, by my own app itself has very nearly recouped my total apple investment to date.

This is somewhat tangential to the author's main point, but my take is that there are many angles the author has failed to think of, and it's not a fair analysis of either apple or developers.

[uxp]

This really hits on a key long term solution. A hobbyist could pick up a macbook pro, or already have one because they're trendy, and play around with Xcode and the simulator for a long time for free. Once the lightbulb flicks on and that hobbyist decides to plop down $99 for the paid account and signing certificate, releases one or two apps into the store, that developer is now a highly sought after asset to thousands of companies as a full time employee or contractor.

Where's the back-of-the-envelope calculations on spending $500-$1500 for a Mac and $99 for the Dev Account and turning that into a lifelong and highly valuable skill? It might be more money than $800 + $25 for the same on a Windows PC and Android, but it's not a huge difference when you compare the output. What other hobbies can be turned into a lucrative career with a soft cap of $2000 and 6 months to a year of practice?