Are Apple using COBOL batch processes? As a Apple developer I received an invitation to the iOS7 beta. When I logged in, the website said my developer account was expiring "soon", and I needed to renew it prior to accessing the beta program. I found this a little strange, as I have had a membership all year.

But no problem: I renewed the membership. However, I then received an notice saying would take 24 hours to process my account renewal, and to contact them via email if the renewal has not been processed in this time. I have worked as a Project Manager for large banks and insurance companies, and often transactions are processed in batch via COBOL programs on a mainframe.

In banks it is due partially to the number of transactions, but mostly because the systems are old and to update them is a major effort. I am surprised that Apple has the same system, are they also running COBOL batch programs on a mainframe to process membership renewals?
Apple do not publish information about the technology behind their web site or online services.

It is believed much of Apple's sites are backed by Java based processes stemming from Apple's WebObjects era.