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It is not only $99. It is $500+ (used) computer also. Cannot use your old PC do develop iOS apps. $99 may be nothing for most HN users, but for 3rd world dev

• true_religion 4y ago
  I’m a third world developer. In the third world, at least in Ghana, iPhones are over represented in the middle class and by association many people have MacBooks. This means there is a glut of older models in second hand market or passed down to kids, cousins, and family friends. The problem with the 99 dollars is that it’s payable yearly. Yes someone might sponsor you once and give you enough for a single year but they won’t do it ever year. You have to make enough yourself and that’s a tall order of business if you are a student. Thus no one learns iOS development first.
• philistine 4y ago
  I get that PCs are more common but you can't classify that as a recurring cost. I mean, if your computer is a Mac than there's no cost. It's only if you're using a PC that you have to get a Mac to develop for iOS etc. But I totally get you, Apple is but one company and they've completely bungled reasonable prices in many countries, for example India.