Hi all.
There have been several threads where people are asking, "is there any way we can develop iPhone Apps on Windows, or without using Objective-C?" The main reason people ask this is because they either cannot afford a Mac, or cannot afford all the additional costs one has to suffer as a result of using the iPhone SDK.
Several times, I have mentioned a little library called DragonFire SDK. It's a simple little tool, and, though it doesn't give you all the functionality of the iPhone SDK, it uses C/C++ and fits right in with VC/VC++ Express.
You may ask, "is this legal?". Why yes, it is perfectly legal. You simply write your C++ code and test it with the built in iPhone emulator and send the code of to Zimusoft, who made DragonFire SDK. The code is then fiddled with, until it can be compiled on a Mac machine which uses the full iPhone SDK.
The functionality available is easily enough to produce nice 2D applications, with the list of available functions being updated all the time. Worried about getting stuck with the code? There is a full API reference and forum where you can get help with your problems.
Thought there is currently no iPad support, I do believe that this will be implemented in the future, as this is simply too big a market for Zimusoft to miss out on.
And what's the price of this fantastic offer? Very little. Either $50 for the starter kit (ideal to see how you get on with making apps) or the $100 ultimate version for those of you who want to publish and create several apps. The choice of which you buy is entirely up to you. Furthermore, you can upgrade the starter kit to the ultimate version for just another $50 later on.
You may think, "Why isn't it free?". It may not be free, but it certainly beats Apple and the iPhone SDK. This provides a fantastic, but inexpensive and affordable package with which to create iPhone apps.
*I am not in any way affiliated with DragonFire SDK or Zimusoft. Zimusoft do not endorse the content in this post. I have simply made this post as a heads-up to hopeful iPhone developers. DragonFire SDK is property of Zimusoft.
**Please could a moderator sticky this thread. Thanks