Apple has some great products, and real momentum, particularly with the iPhone. The only people who are likely to defeat Apple… are Apple people.

There are points where Apple has the urge to exert control. This is one; there are others on iTunes, etc. However, a mania for controlling user experience has characterized Steve Jobs since the development of the Mac platform.

What stops me from hacking my iPhone and moving code my code onto it? Thousands of apps have been developed for iPhone.

All this does is piss people off.

What does Steve say – “The internet in your pocket” “My music in the palm of my hand”

Where do I want to see my app? In the palm of my hand. Morons.

Correct. Your developer ID should be the same as the Apple ID you use to purchase from iTunes, etc. Usually an email account name. It has no relationship to the account name or password on your MacBook.

“When I tried to compile to the actual iPhone device (as opposed to the simulator), I still get an error…”

That’s because you don’t have a certificate. Without that (and the iPhone 1.2/Aspen firmware), you can “connect” to a device but can’t do much with it. You’ll need to wait until you are accepted into the developer program for that. In the meantime, try programming to the simulator. You can test most things there (with some noteable exceptions like 3D graphics which requires device hardware support).