Originally Posted By: wfaulk

That's nonsense. They don't charge for Quicktime, iTunes, or Safari. Someone made a decision that they needed to start charging for XCode, probably so they could make some extra revenue off of iOS developers.


I have to agree with this, if it is down to accounting practices, then why the $4.99, why not the minimum $0.99 charge? Or maybe just a statement "guys, we can't continue to give Xcode away for free, but we're making it as cheap as possible".

I'm usually pretty apathetic about things that Apple do (or don't do), but I find the decision to start charging for Xcode a bit bizarre. I'm sure it'll come free on the Lion discs, although will it update through the software update rather than the app store? Does anybody know how upgrades work with Facetime as that is pre-installed on the new macs.

Mostly the app store has been excellent for those who would be interested in purchasing Apples applications, the separation of the iWork apps at a low price point was good for the end user.

Originally Posted By: hybrid8
Anyone who says Apple is the epitome of consistency is very much out to lunch. They're like an enigma machine. You can see what comes out, but you don't know what went in, nor why.


Yeah, the only rational behind the charging for Xcode 4 as far as I can see is "because we can".

Is "because we can" the new "think different"?