Can I still develop for the first generation iPad? iOS 5.1.1

Question

Using the modern configuration of El Capitan and Xcode 6/7; and get the app published on the App Store?

Answer 1

Yes! I just developed an application that runs on iOS 5.1.1, up to iOS 9.3, which has been approved and is now available on the iTunes store.

First I developed it in Xcode 4.2, tested it on a simulator, and then transferred it to the new Xcode 7.3. I used Objective-C and used if else (checking supported functions, not OS versions) for an OS-specific API. eg. if([UIAlertController class]){ ... } else { ... }

Hope this helps others too.

Answer 2

Yes, but if I'm right, you also need to support iOS 7 or higher.

See https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/IDEs/Conceptual/AppDistributionGuide/ConfiguringYourApp/ConfiguringYourApp.html for details

Answer 3

You should be able to develop and deploy through the AppStore on iPad 1, setting the deployment target in 5.1.1. and make sure the binary contains the code for the armv7 architecture.

I was hoping you could use Apple's bit code to take care of the processor architecture requirements, but unfortunately it requires iOS 6 and above:

clang: error: -fembed-bitcode is not supported on iOS versions prior to 6.0