Developing iphone app for an enterprise

Question

We are developing an enterprise application and I looked at the following options: 1. Putting on itunes. Cannot do this since our application is to be used only by our clients with a login and passwrod. You cannot have login based app in itunes: http://appreview.tumblr.com/post/952395621/cannot-be-intended-for-a-limited-audience

2. Using iOS Developer Enterprise Cannot do this as : The iOS Developer Enterprise Program should be used to develop and distribute proprietary in-house applications to your own employees within your own company. As such, your company would not qualify for direct Program enrollment in this situation. We would suggest that your client apply for enrollment in the Program, and, once enrolled in the Program, your client may add the appropriate developers from your company to their iOS Development Team.

Our client cannot add us.

3. Adhoc distribution. This is only for 100 beta testers.

So are there any other options if I want our client to donwload our app.

Answer 1

Provide some minimal functionality to all users that does not require any proprietary data, but have the app download all proprietary data and enable proprietary features only after your enterprise customer logs in. Then submit it to the App store.

There are plenty of examples in the app store. Banking apps: they might advertise the bank, have maps to the nearest branch, perhaps include a calculator of some sort, but of course don't allow any actual banking features or download any account information until after a customer logs in. Security apps: provide a public weather web cam view to everybody, but a security cam view only to people who buy their expensive $100K security camera system.

The example private golf course app could have included public information on the club, the current weather, map info on local restaurants, and maybe who to contact to apply for the $10M membership, but then added private club info (calendar, roster) only to paid members after log in.

Make sure to create a test account with dummy (non-proprietary) data and give it to Apple.

Answer 2

You can absolutely have a login based app. I have helped someone submit one that got approved that sounds very similar to the one you are describing. Also, think about the Netflix app for example, login based, limited to Netflix users (although this is probably not as limited as you are talking about).