iPhone developer program renewals kick in
Apple iPhone developers are happily reporting that they can now renew access to the iPhone developer program and refresh their ad hoc device list for an additional year, just as Apple promised in March.
We reported last March about Apple extending the iPhone developer program to expire on July 11, one year after the opening of the iTunes App Store. Since then, some Apple developers have reported tough times renewing their iPhone development licenses, according to reports.
Recently, however, Apple has begun to allow iPhone development licenses renewals (a full 60 days prior to the developer program expiration date). One developer submitted the following screen snapshot as evidence that renewals are working.
Renewals allow developers to continue to sell apps without losing their place in the iTunes App Store, something many of them feared might happen. Still, the program has some glitches. According to this article, iPhone developers running out of Ad-Hoc slots, posted on iLounge.com:
A number of iPhone developers are running out of slots for the addition of ad hoc testing devices, according to one developer's blog posting. James Thompson, developer of PCalc, states that when he recently ran into problems deleting and adding new testing devices to his list, and contacted Apple about the problem, they replied saying, "Please know that each Standard iPhone Developer Program enrollment has a limit of 100 test devices. Please be aware that removing a device will not replenish the current amount available."
It appears that the registered device list isn't as flexible as one would want it to be--another kink that Apple needs to iron out. The ability to swap out testing devices and testers at will should be a high priority for Apple. Hopefully, Apple will resolve this issue quickly and not limit ad hoc device list resets to once annually.
Developers, we'd like to hear your thoughts about the Apple iPhone developer program.