Apple gets away with it because they launched the SDK a year after the first iPhone, by which time it was extremely popular. Developers wanted to jump on the co

Apple gets away with it because they launched the SDK a year after the first iPhone, by which time it was extremely popular. Developers wanted to jump on the coolest platform at the time with millions of users, so a $99 fee wasn't too bad. Microsoft doesn't have that luxury, as it's struggling to attract both users and developers. Discouraging hobbyists, students, and curious developers from just testing it out for fun is a terrible idea.