Develop iPhone applications on Windows (with Virtualbox etc)

Question

This has been asked before, I know, but the answers are a bit dated.

I think I've read somewhere that the Snow Leopard EULA has changed and that you now are allowed to install the OS on a Virtual Machine of some sort.

I know I should buy a Mac and I might do so, but I want to try Objective-C in practice before I do that.

I want to develop an application for iPhone, but if the IDE is as nasty as they say I might skip it altogether. I just want to have a look at it first.

So, is it possible do install what you need to develop iPhone apps on a Windows based machine as host?

Solution 1

Yes. You can run OSX in a VM. I use MonoTouch and Visual Studio to write my applications in C# with a shared directory between the two. Write code in VS, build and debug on OSX within the simulator. It would also work with Objective-C if that's the path you take. If you're not a Mac Guy I would recommend MonoTouch though, it makes development MUCH faster.

Solution 2

Yes , it is possible to run OSX snow leopard on your PC. I recommend that only for evaluation purposes (if you dont have access to mac development machines, friends/family/etc.).

Your shopping list would include:

1. a legit copy of snow leopard.
2. your choice of virtual machine (in my opinion , virtualbox is great, altough it doesnt support widescreen at the moment).
3. some guide for combining the above (google is your friend).
4. you will eventually need some drivers for your pc peripherals (sound card , usb etc).

I would start the research from step 3.. Once you're done , you will see that you need a very fast pc to develop, as Waiting for the apps to compile could be frustrating at times.

I tried to install OSX on my pc just for evaluation purposes , getting to know the SDK and the OS before I buy a machine. Actually waiting for the new series of MacBook Airs to buy one..