New Stuff to Learn

There’s been a lot of press lately about Apple development tools and the programming language, which is Objective-C. While folks that come from a C and C++ background feel quite at home with Objective-C, there are various developer groups feeling left out of the iPhone app gold rush. Specifically, I am speaking to the legions of .NET and Flash developers who have spent many years mastering their craft and are now being asked to learn a new set of tools, programming language and SDK.

As someone who went through that transition I thought I would document the books that helped along the way. While I did learn Mac development in a classroom setting, the books I’ll recommend were instrumental to it all making sense. My recommendations are listed in suggested reading order.

The Basics

The first book that can help orient new Mac developers is Learn Objective-C on the Mac by Apress. While the book doesn’t specifically focus on the iPhone SDK it does provide fundamental answers to beginner programming questions. This includes how to program Objective-C properties, methods, classes, variables and OO design. It also introduces important concepts such as NSDictionary and NSPredicate which become useful when learning database development using Core Data.

Build On What You’ve Learned

Once you get your bearings you can build on the fundamentals by reading Beginning iPhone Development by Apress. This book introduces the basic aspects of the iPhone SDK. As you may know, learning Objective-C doesn’t necessarily make you an iPhone expert. You will also need to learn how to apply the iPhone SDK using Objective-C which is the focus of this book.

Create User Interfaces

I’ve heard a lot of people comment about their experience with Interface Builder (IB). Granted, IB may not be what most existing developers are used to, I do find working with it to be fun and different. There’s a lot you can do with IB, but working with XIB files (pronounced “nib”) IBOulets and IBActions can be complex. In the book Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X by Aaron Hillegass, he provides almost all of his code examples in an illustrated step-by-step approach. Readers also get exposed to additional concepts such as Key-Value-Coding, which is used in Mac desktop development.

Fill In the Gaps

At this stage you’ll certainly understand most, if not all of the language syntax and SDK fundamentals. However, you may not understand why some things work they way they do. This may include items such as memory management, synthesizing properties, calling delegates and handling notifications. One of the best books to help fill in the gaps is Head First – iPhone Development by O’Reilly. It provides one of the best introductions to Core Data that I’ve seen. One cruise through this book and you’ll be a happy camper.

Build Something Cool

By now you should have the knowledge to put your development ideas into action. Add to your new found expertise by reading More iPhone Development by Apress. This book skips the preliminaries and gets right into the good stuff such as Core Location, GameKit and the MediaPlayer Framework. I’ve been surprised by how many times I go back to this book as a reference for new and existing projects.

Have a Reference

Finally, the last resource that I recommend is the online reference material provided by Apple. This is not to say that its documentation is not good. On the contrary, it’s a great resource, but almost to a fault. Due to the complexity of its documentation I find it most useful as a reference and not for learning new concepts. I feel many new developers rush to the iPhone Developers Reference documentation as their first information source only to be discouraged when none of it makes sense.

Conclusion

Learning iPhone Development is indeed challenging but is not impossible with the right resources. As you continue to build your skills in app development we’ll be here to help take your ideas from concept to the App Store. In meantime these books should ease the learning curve.

Will it make sense to your audience?

As in all things related to software development, the goal of your app will be to provide a solution to a set of end users. In some cases your “solution” could be an answer to a specific problem, or it could allow people to discover something new about their environment. Perhaps the solution already exists on another platform (e.g. desktop, web) but doesn’t exist for the iPhone.

One thing you do know is that your audience is on the go. People who use mobile applications find value in quick interactions with limited user input. They don’t want to use your app to write a Word document. However, people will like your app if they can get the information they need by pressing a button or two. In the case of a mapping application or email, they may only launch the app (with no user input) to get the information they need.

Think “Pocket Computer” instead of Mobile Phone

As an experienced web developer, the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the term “mobile phone” is limited functionality on a screen that’s too small. All things being equal, this has been the typical experience of previous mobile platforms. With the iPhone, think of the device as a pocket computer. For example, many new iPhone users report decreased usage in both laptop and desktop computers. In addition, successful applications like Pandora that have typically struggled in a desktop setting now flourish as a pocket computer solution. When planning your application think about what is unique to the iPhone that can be utilized in your app. If you can figure this out you’ll have the next Bump or Urbanspoon.

Consider the differences between the iPhone and iPod touch

With your cool app idea and a good understanding of your audience, let’s consider the actual hardware and software. Depending on which frameworks (major components of the iPhone SDK) are used in your application, your app may not work on every iPhone device. For example, an application that makes use of the camera, compass or microphone will work on an iPhone but not an iPod touch. It’s OK to write an app that’s limited to iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS – just be sure you account for it when you develop (and market) your app. This should also go without saying, but be certain to have a physical iPhone or iPod touch to test your code before submitting your app to the App Store.

Document your ideas

Before you commit any code to your new project, take some time to document your end-user experience. This doesn’t need to be a lengthy requirements document. It could be as simple as writing down some notes on paper or sketching some drawings. When I created Jingle! I sketched the design using a stencil kit provided by UI Stencils. Using actual paper and a stencil kit was especially cool as it was a fun way to piece together user interface elements. I also tracked my notes, marketing materials and communication using Evernote.

Design a great user experience

When you start looking at Apple documentation, one recurring theme you will see is reference to a document called the Human Interface Guidelines (HIG). Essentially this is the master document for how your iPhone application should look and behave. Most of us have heard the stories of how XYZ app was “rejected” by Apple because of an apparently random decision. If you want a head start on what Apple is looking for in an application, you will benefit greatly by starting with this document.

Another way to ensure a great experience is to look at other leading applications that may be in your category. Ask yourself why those applications are the leaders and what elements they used to create a great experience. Also check out the ideas of usability expert Jakob Nielsen.

Manage Memory and Battery Life

To ensure your project is successful also consider how your app will manage memory and battery life. As we will discover in the code, there is no garbage collection for iPhone so you as a developer will be in command of memory management. Also, certain iPhone functions will use more battery life than others. For example, applications that stream data from the Internet or make extensive use of the Core Location Framework (e.g. GPS) will drain battery life more quickly.

Data Management

Finally, one of the most complex items you will need to consider is data management. You have three options. If your app is a basic utility (e.g. temperature converter, calculator) you shouldn’t have to worry about storing data. If you plan to build an app that connects to an Internet-based service (e.g. how Tweetie works with Twitter), you’ll connect to these online resources through web services. Your third option will be to store user data on the device using the Core Data Framework.

If you are planning your first app, feel free to send in your questions, thoughts and ideas!

I’ll start off by letting you know that I hail from The Emerald City (yeah that’s Seattle). Most folks think we are an unassuming bunch who drink too much coffee while working on our Windows PC’s. While I do like a good a mocha, I’m also part of Seattle’s growing Mac community that’s building some pretty cool stuff for the iPhone and iPod touch.

As a self-described geek and software engineer I’ll be writing articles to help unravel the mystery of developing apps for iPhone OS. In addition to writing code, I’ll examine various aspects of the software development process including planning, testing and design. If you’re planning the next great app hopefully I can provide the “secret sauce” to help move your concept from idea to the App Store.

Don’t think coding is for you? Even if you are a project manager, sales person or business type, learning about the technology that has captured world attention may prove useful to your company or career.

My Background

I’ve spent my entire career in software development, with a primary focus on building web-based applications. Over the years I’ve worked in project management, coding, database development and quality assurance. I also ran my own software consulting company for 5 years.

In 2009 I took notice of iPhone OS as a legitimate development platform when Apple announced they had 50,000 apps in its app store. Like many iPhone developers I’d spent most of my career immersed in other technologies so I spent many months learning a new set of tools, processes and programming language.

This past year I released my first iPhone app called Jingle! that integrates music and social media. I also have an interest in education, mapping and GPS systems and plan to develop new titles for the iPad.