Talking about the Apple Developer annual fee, in Intentional AI #7, here is David Sparks:

Why do you need the $99? People ask. If you’re making stuff for Apple devices, there’s a 7 day limit on the token, basically a trial app on the free account.

If you don’t have the $99 account, then you’re going to have to be dealing with it every week, like the guy on Lost poking in the codes in the computer, right? I think Apple should embrace [AI coding]. They should make a personal developer tier for the developer account. It should not cost $99 a year. Frankly, it shouldn’t have access to the App Store.

It’s just a way to make and deploy apps between you and your little team. it should be very inexpensive.

I love this idea. With so many more people making apps, Apple should make it more open for hobbyists, and continue to charge for access to the App Store.