Head First iphone Development: A Learner's Guide to Creating Objective-C Applications for the Iphone

Head First Series

by Dan Pilone, Tracey Pilone

Let's say you have an idea for a killer iPhone app. Where do you begin? Head First iPhone Development will help you get your first application up and running in no time. You'll quickly learn to use iPhone SDK tools, including Interface Builder and Xcode, and master Objective-C programming principles that will make your app stand out. It's a complete learning experience for creating eye-catching, top-selling iPhone applications.




Put Objective-C core concepts to work, including message passing, protocols, properties, and memory management
Take advantage of iPhone patterns such as datasources and delegates
Preview your applications in the iPhone Simulator
Build complicated interactions that utilize multiple views, data entry/editing, and iPhone rotation
Work with iPhone's camera, GPS, and accelerometer
Optimize, test, and distribute your application
We think your time is too valuable to waste struggling with new concepts. Using the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory to craft a multi-sensory learning experience, Head First iPhone Development provides a visually-rich format designed for the way your brain works, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.

Genres: Programming, Technical, Reference, Heads, Coding

506 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2009

Reviews

[Kami Bee]

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.

[Alessandro Pellizzari · Rating 4 out of 5]

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)

[Chris Franz · Rating 4 out of 5]

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>

[Lisbeth Nilsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Arnav Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few errors too many, but still super helpful.

[Eric]

Great introduction to iPhone development.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Shakir Sharfraz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good primer to ios app development. But this is not a reference book for Objective-C development.

[Michiel]

http://t.co/Iw3F2N0

[Yuan Lukito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belajar iphone development dengan gaya Head First

[Sherif]

Thanks