But Visual Studio Express is also free.

The shame in it all is that you can't just use the computer you already have. iOS development requires a Mac and Windows RT development requires Windows. It sucks when any manufacturer locks you in and prevents you from using portable code. It ups the expense of developing a cross-platform application significantly.

I guess at least if you own a Mac, you're allowed to run Windows on the hardware as well. The same can't be said in reverse, due to software licensing restrictions.

What bugs me about people saying that you need to buy a Mac for iOS development is that you need to buy a computer in order to do any software development. What do Windows developers develop on? Free computers? Is the criticism coming from Windows developers who don't want to buy a Mac to develop for iOS? :D

I could make an Android app on Linux or Windows or OSX. I could make a Windows program on Linux or Mac, and I could make a Linux program on Windows or Mac. I don't know if you could make a Mac program on Windows or Linux, but it might be possible. Point being, you can use the computer you already have.

My criticism of having to buy a Mac and use XCode to make an iOS app is in response to the criticism of having to use Windows and Visual Studio to make a Windows RT app. It's the same process. The only difference between Windows RT and iOS is that Microsoft lets you install Windows RT apps on a desktop/laptop as well as a tablet. Microsoft is far from pioneering this requirement by several years and half-a-million apps. Yet people are pushing this like it's a brand new Microsoft innovation.