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Head First Series

Head First iPhone and iPad Development: A Learner's Guide to Creating Objective-C Applications for the iPhone and iPad

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Let's say you have a killer app idea for iPhone and iPad. Where do you begin? Head First iPhone and iPad Development will help you get your first application up and running in no time. You'll not only learn how to design for Apple's devices, you'll also master the iPhone SDK tools―including Xcode―and Objective-C programming principles to make your app stand out. Whether you're a seasoned Mac developer who wants to jump into the App store, or someone with strong object-oriented programming skills but no Mac experience, this book is a complete learning experience for creating eye-catching, top-selling iPhone and iPad applications.

363 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2009

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139 people want to read

About the author

Dan Pilone

15 books9 followers

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5 stars
31 (25%)
4 stars
46 (38%)
3 stars
31 (25%)
2 stars
9 (7%)
1 star
3 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
73 reviews3 followers
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February 23, 2014
I just don't think the style of these books is as clever as their creators seem to think. Yes, learning happens more effectively when you aren't just scanning pages and pages of text, but that shouldn't mean filling a book with poorly-edited images sporting mostly dumb captions.

To make it worse the book is full of grammatical errors and the odd technical error, and by the end of the book the edgy visual style has given way to the reader having disjointed snippets of code dumped at them in a manner that overcomplicates the process of learning. The authors don't even attempt to break down daunting topics like Core Data implementation in any helpful way, instead resorting to prewritten code explained long after most readers would have given up in despair. And yet quite basic things like importing the correct classes and frameworks repeatedly take up whole pages!

The authors are very clear in their intended audience in the introduction - people who have some prior programming experience. It's a pity they didn't spend more time thinking about the sorts of things such an audience is (and isn't) likely to struggle with.
379 reviews10 followers
June 13, 2011
Priorità diverse sul lavoro mi hanno costretto ad abbandonare la lettura (e soprattutto la sperimentazione) di questo libro, ma sono riuscito a leggerne circa 300 pagine e l'idea che mi sono fatto è che sia realizzato molto bene. Come gli altri libri della serie Head First, accompagna il lettore inesperto con uno stile mai pesante, corredato di vignette, "giochi" per mantenere l'attenzione e aiutare il ragionamento e spiegazioni a volte anche troppo dettagliate. Solo una volta mi è capitato di leggere una frase e di non capire di cosa stesse parlando, per poi trovarla spiegata 2-3 pagine dopo. Conto di riprenderlo alla prima occasione per finirlo, e lo consiglio a tutti quelli che si vogliono avvicinare alla programmazione su iPhone (ma bisogna conoscere almeno un po' di C e e di programmazione in generale e, possibilmente, qualcosina anche di Objective-C)
Profile Image for Chris Franz.
2 reviews2 followers
April 5, 2011
I love the Head First series of books. The style makes learning very dynamic and interesting. This book was no exception. The information was presented in a clear manner and the progression through learning programming for the iPhone was excellent.
I ran into a few problems because I was using the latest iPhone SDK. It would have been nice if there was a central place to get information on the differences between the 3.x and 4.x SDKs on the books website.
If you are interested in learning about programming for iPhone I highly recommend this book. However, wait for the 2nd edition if you are using the 4.x SDK>
Profile Image for Lisbeth Nilsen.
22 reviews1 follower
January 21, 2012
Great introduction to iOS programming, helped med get my first iOS app cobbled together. The style is fun and makes you think things through instead of just giving you code to copy.

What keeps this from being a five star effort is partly the small errors and forgotten details that sometimes keep the app from working or even compiling. The book's forum is a good place to find answers to most questions, though.
I would also have liked the book to be more of a help with getting my application onto my devices and later, onto the App Store, as that's a slightly tricky process in itself.
209 reviews
May 5, 2010
It's much simpler and more understandable than other iPhone development books (such as iPhone in Action). It doesn't go into as much depth though.

A big problem is that it doesn't work well with the new SDKs. This causes some frustration, but you can't expect the authors to know the future.
Profile Image for Matt.
72 reviews2 followers
November 16, 2012
I think this was a great book to get you started learning the basics of app development for iOS devices. I have always been a fan in general of the Head First series. I really enjoy the way they present information.
41 reviews7 followers
July 20, 2010
A few errors too many, but still super helpful.
2 reviews1 follower
Currently reading
September 8, 2010
Great introduction to iPhone development.
Profile Image for Randy.
13 reviews5 followers
July 2, 2012
So far, this is a great manual for learning iOS development. The particular strength of the Head First series is the organization and writing style that caters to those who are visual learners.
66 reviews2 followers
August 24, 2015
A good primer to ios app development. But this is not a reference book for Objective-C development.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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