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Well, Xcode is free. Apple Dev membership is free. You need a computer to develop software on. Windows machines aren't free. A legit Windows OS license is more expensive than OSX.

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Oh so you can buy the OSX upgrade and install it on any x86 hardware? No? Then it's not comparable to the retail Windows License.

You can pickup a Windows PC and an Android phone for half the cost of just a Mac Mini that still requires a display.

Is a Dev membership free, or is it $99/year?

$99 is when you want to distribute via App Store. You don't need that to do the development or use the tools.

A developer account is free, the $99 is to publish in the App Store, receive technical support, and receive free versions of various things (e.g. OS X Server).

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