You're right on the $100. But the Ad hoc distribution(install on 100 devices) you are talking about and testing on a device requires you to be in the program. Check yourself if you want to.
On another note. It's been awhile since i last worked with iOS, there's something called "Custom B2B App Distribution" item on the iOS dev program listing. Anyone have any clue what it means? Didn't exist when I did iOS work.
On Windows/Mac OS X/Linux front I wouldn't do the same. As you can see I only mentioned Android and iOS. Those two seem to be quite even in their marketshare. I didn't include Symbian or any other mobile OS like Blackberry, series 40, bada etc. I chose iOS and Android for the simple reason that they have the easiest SDK to use and good application markets. If I were to choose the platform with only the "biggest market" on my mind I'd have to include s40 (so called "feature phones") as an option. But it has way too many problems and the platforms future doesn't look so good, even tho it still has a massive amount of users.
Another matter of consideration is the application(s) you actually develop. If you plan to do millions of different kind of useless "place a hat on your friends" apps, choosing one platform is propably the best option. However if it's a bit bigger and more useful software which might get competing applications, you really want to fight them. Adding another platform for your application gives you an advantage over your competition. You can call it a feature and market it as such. "Works even on your Android phone/iPhone!"
When I showed news of this to my boss. He just replied "yeah my old buddy who's still at Nokia works on this". My boss used to work at Nokia himself.
Anyway, the rumour began to sound more plausible after hearing his comment.
Around here it's a small or a large beer. (small is usually 333ml, large is around half a liter depending on the bar and drink").
Even if we use metrics, that doesn't mean we have to use silly phrases in our everyday life.
"Here's something to think about: How come you never see a headline like `Psychic Wins Lottery.'" -- Comedian Jay Leno