Apple releases Xcode 4; free for developers, $4.99 for everyone else

Now call me an anti-alarmist, but none of this should be surprising for anyone.

XCode 4 is not free because then Apple would have to deal with the accounting nightmare of giving things away for free that weren't a part of the original purchase, thus basically turning MacOS X 10.6 into a subscription model. It's the same reason they're charging a menial fee for FaceTime (on non-new computers) and for certain updates on the iPod Touch in the past as well as the update that turned on networking for some laptops.

The reason that the update is free for developers is that they are paying a $100 (or $200 or more if they are both iOS and MacOS developers or corporate developers) for a subscription including updates to the development tools.

Chances are, it will still be free on the install disk for Lion and chances are people will continue to get Software Update updates for XCode 3.2, as that was sold as part of the MacOS X 10.6 package.

And for those asking about what they can do with XCode if they aren't signed up for the development programs, basically you can create and distribute MacOS X apps (except on the Mac AppStore) and you can create and test iOS apps in the simulator, although I don't believe you can install them on a real iOS device without being part of the iOS develoers program.

Warning: I don't have any particular inside knowledge, I just watch Apple very closely, have been a developer for the Macintosh since 1984 and have MacOS X apps both in the AppStore and available for sale outside of the AppStore and have iOS apps in the AppStore.

Has anybody else problems installing Xcode from the Mac App Store? It downloaded the installer, but the installer hangs at around 98% and never finishes. Tried it twice now.

So.... Just to confirm: if I download Xcode 4 from App Store then I can submit a programme to the App Store without paying the yearly fee?

I would've thought Apple'd still want the yearly fee from developers. Surely, you can only programme for yourself with the App Store version...?

I think the complaint about price is valid. I've had macs since tiger and XCode has always been free, right on the OS disc.

After reading comments, I'd say this is another "enablement" type fee because the are moving from OSS tools to "pay" tools. They didn't pay to distribute those improvements, so accounting says they "have" to charge. (Apple is not like Microsoft where they have a "software" business at 80% margin to burn and they actually use technologies that require licence fees... And PAY them)

Still, it was a bit rude that they didn't talk up the new features with an explanation.

Interestingly enough, what bugs me about this isn't that Apple is charging for Xcode-- it's the fact that, for non-subscribing developers, there's no way to download it *except* for the App Store.

Better have some way to access a good stable connection on your App Store-enabled computer to download the *4.2 gigabyte* installer, because there's no way to download it from someone else's machine and stick it on a thumb drive.

Before complaining about XCode 4 not being free, I would consider waiting to see if it will be included in Lion..

I won't complain about the price for getting XCode 4...it is EXTREMELY reasonable!
Could someone explain something to me though? On the developer webpage it says that i could join the iOS or the Mac Developer program for $99 each. They also announce the $5 price to get XCode. If I buy xcode does it get deducted from the price of the developer program? (since it is free for developers)... Second, If I become a member of the Mac developer program and write a mac app that i then port to iOS. Does apple require me, as the developer of the mac app, to pay $99 to become a developer of iOS and publish my app?

Thanks

Xcode 3 with SDK 4.3 is still available for free as long as you have registered with the program.

What I have a problem with, is XCode 4 dropped support for Perforce source control. My company uses Perforce for all their projects and platforms, so my team can't use XCode 4 at all.

$5 is not much but this crosses the line! I hope that by some luck we get at least the LLVM Clang and stuff without the abomination called XCode, because really it's the only part of XCode that I actually used (gcc etc tools).