It's certainly possible to develop on a Windows machine, in fact, my first application was exclusively developed on the old Dell Precision I had at the time :)
There are three routes;
- Install OSx86 (aka iATKOS / Kalyway) on a second partition/disk and dual boot.
- Run Mac OS X Server under VMWare (Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) onwards, read the update below).
- Use Delphi XE4 and the macincloud service. This is a commercial toolset, but the component and lib support is growing.
The first route requires modifying (or using a pre-modified) image of Leopard that can be installed on a regular PC. This is not as hard as you would think, although your success/effort ratio will depend upon how closely the hardware in your PC matches that in Mac hardware - e.g. if you're running a Core 2 Duo on an Intel Motherboard, with an NVidia graphics card you are laughing. If you're running an AMD machine or something without SSE3 it gets a little more involved.
If you purchase (or already own) a version of Leopard then this is a gray area since the Leopard EULA states you may only run it on an "Apple Labeled" machine. As many point out if you stick an Apple sticker on your PC you're probably covered.
The second option is more costly. The EULA for the workstation version of Leopard prevents it from being run under emulation and as a result, there's no support in VMWare for this. Leopard server, however, CAN be run under emulation and can be used for desktop purposes. Leopard server and VMWare are expensive, however.
If you're interested in option 1) I would suggest starting at Insanelymac and reading the OSx86 sections.
I do think you should consider whether the time you will invest is going to be worth the money you will save though. It was for me because I enjoy tinkering with this type of stuff and I started during the early iPhone betas, months before their App Store became available.
Alternatively, you could pick up a low-spec Mac Mini from eBay. You don't need much horsepower to run the SDK and you can always sell it on later if you decide to stop development or buy a better Mac.
Update: You cannot create a Mac OS X Client virtual machine for OS X 10.6 and earlier. Apple does not allow these Client OSes to be virtualized. With Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) onwards, Apple has changed its licensing agreement in regards to virtualization. Source: VMWare KnowledgeBase
With Xcode 4.2 and later versions, including Xcode 4.6, there is a better way to migrate your entire developer profile to a new machine. On your existing machine, launch Xcode and do this:
- Open the Organizer (Shift-Command-2).
- Select the Devices tab.
- Choose Developer Profile in the upper-left corner under LIBRARY, which may be under the heading library or under a heading called TEAMS.
- Choose Export near the bottom left side of
the window. Xcode asks you to choose a file name and password.
Edit for Xcode 4.4:
With Xcode 4.4, at step 3 choose Provisioning Profiles under LIBRARY. Then select your provisioning profiles either with the mouse or Command-A.
Also, Apple is making improvements in the way they manage this aspect of Xcode, and some users have reported that the Refresh button in the lower-right corner does the trick. So try clicking Refresh first, and if that doesn't help, do the export/import sequence.
Picture for Xcode 4.6 added by WP
Edit for Xcode 5.0 or newer:
- Open Xcode -> Preferences ('Command' + ',')
- Select the Apple ID from the list.
- Click on the SETTING icon near the bottom-left corner of window, and choose EXPORT ACCOUNTS... Xcode asks you to choose a file name and password.
On your new machine, launch Xcode and import the profile you exported above. Works like a charm.
Picture for Xcode 5.0 added by Ankur
Best Answer
I believe this is a problem with paid developer accounts that have expired and become free developer accounts. Technically free accounts are limited to 3 devices. If you have a previous paid account that had more than 3, I bet Apple didn't clear out those devices, which means you are over your limit of devices. Other are experiencing the issue here.
I think your best move would be to sign up for a new, free account, or pay to restore your access to the full 100 device limit for a paid individual account.