IPhone Application Development

Question

I really want to learn how to develop applications for Iphone. Can you, experts, give me some advice on which programming tool I should study? tools that I have to install [of course I prefer free tools] ?, do I need an operating system? [I only have xp and unix windows on my personal laptop]. Do I need an iPhone to test my applications? [poor guy, I don't have an iPhone].

Thanks to everyone who replied, each message seems very informative and useful (+1 for everyone), I will consider each proposal

Answer 1

You need to learn Objective-C, you'll need Xcode, and you'll use Mac OS X (on Macintosh), and you'll need the iPhone SDK.

You can test using the iPhone simulator.

In this you will begin to use tools, etc.

Answer 2

Stanford has launched an online iPhone development course. It is free from iTunes and guides you through the basic concepts of Objective-C and iPhone. Link: http://itunes.stanford.edu/

Answer 3

Tools that I have to install (of course, I prefer free tools)?

Xcode is free (like in beer). But for the actual deployment of applications on the device, you need to pay $ 99 per year for Apple to participate in the iPhone dev program.

do i need an operating system? [I only have xp and unix windows on my personal laptop].

You need Mac OS X 10.6.

Do I need an iPhone to test my applications? [poor guy, I don't have an iPhone].

Then buy an iPod Touch. The iPhone simulator that accompanies the iPhone SDK may work, but does not reflect the true performance of the device.

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There are also alternatives, such as MonoTouch, which works outside of Mac OS X but has recently been banned .

You can also jailbreak the device to avoid having to register with the iPhone dev program only for testing on the device. But to send to the AppStore, you still need $ 99.

Answer 4

Unfortunately, you will have a difficult time given your current toolchain. You definitely need a Mac (or Hackintosh, which is still not cheap), and you really need to have an iPhone for development. (There is a simulator, and you can run your applications on it, but it is not as good as a phone, and it does not allow you to check things like a slow network connection / lack of a network connection to improve performance. -Touch is also not as effective. as the real thing, if I remember correctly that the phone can handle 5 touch points, while the sim can handle 2.)

This is one development flaw on the iPhone; launch cost is somewhat prohibitive compared to Android. However, you have a huge market with the iPhone, and it talks about the greatest user experience in the smartphone market right now. You can learn more about this from Apple , find Google, and there are many books .

Answer 5

Xcode, the Apple coding environment, as well as the entire set of development tools, are free of their website with simple registration. This is for OS X only. They are here.

It's hard to develop without a Mac or at least Mac OS X. (I'm not sure if you can install this on a PC ... Maybe I'm wrong)

Answer 6

If you do not have a MAC, you can use a virtual PC with MAC OS X on it. and I would prefer you to provide this small virtual PC with about 2-4 Gig Ram for stable and fast work.

im using VMWare and it works well :)

Answer 7

I am also a "beginner". I would like to recommend this book: Kochan - Programming in Objective-C 2.0 2e

A good book with clear examples, and for me it’s very quick to understand. After that, this video tutorial: iPhone SDK Essential Training from Lynda.com

And, of course, you need to have a mac and a devellopment license if you want to test on your device.

Answer 8

From a technical point of view, you do not need to program in Objective-C. However, the new NDA for section 3.3.1 for the SDK may force you. Otherwise, you can use tools such as Unity3D and Corona. If you are developing games that are. With Unity3D, you can start development on a PC, and later get a Mac and iPhone and set up an iPhone app.

Things like Unity3D and Corona provide you with your own IDE package and tools. They are much easier to use for creating games than the Apple SDK. And let you use simple scripting languages. However, for normal application development, I think nothing beats xCode and Objective-C.

Answer 9

There are many books for developing iPhone, but you don’t even have to buy them to get started. The Apple iPhone Dev Center developer sites contain both reference materials and Getting Started guides, including Objective-C coverage and some of the basics of Mac development, such as Cocoa and Foundation, which are also useful for iPhone OS.

If you already know Objective-C, the Head First iPhone Development book is an excellent read that allows you to quickly write specific applications, although this is not suitable for someone new to programming in general. For a more thorough and comprehensive launch, you can check out Apress books, including Getting Started with iPhone 3 and Lean Objective-C on Mac.

Answer 10

To learn about iPhone app development, you must have a strong team over Objective-C and C / C ++. Cocoa Touch is a programming framework that controls user interactions with iOS. Xcode and the iOS SDK are also available together as a free download on the Mac App Store. With the help of which you can begin to study application development for the iPhone. If you run into any problem or get a seat anywhere, you can search for tutorials available online. Your problem will definitely be resolved.

Answer 11

Of course you need to have a Mac, and I think you really need to have an iPhone for development. Of course, you can find a simulator, but it will not reflect the true performance of the device.

What about the tools needed to install free Xcode (to download it from the Apple website). But for the actual deployment of the application, as far as I know, you have to pay $ 99 per year for Apple to participate in its developer program.

If you're still keen on creating iOS apps, teamtreehouse.com offers interesting courses where you can learn Swift and Objective C