Beginning iPhone 4 Development: Exploring the iOS SDK

by Dave Mark, Jack Nutting, Jeff LaMarche

Beginning iPhone 4 Development is here! The authors of the bestselling Beginning iPhone 3 Development are back, with the same excellent material completely updated for iOS 4 and written from the ground up using the latest version of Apple's Xcode 3. All source code has been updated to use the latest Xcode templates and current APIs, and all-new screenshots show Xcode 3 in action. Beginning iPhone 4 Development is a complete course in iOS 4 apps development. You’ll master techniques that work on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. We start with the basics, showing you how to download and install the tools you'll need, and how to create your first simple application. Next you’ll learn to integrate all the interface elements iOS users have come to know and love, such as buttons, switches, pickers, toolbars, and sliders. You’ll master a variety of design patterns, from the simplest single view to complex hierarchical drill-downs. The confusing art of table building will be demystified, and you’ll learn techniques to save and retrieve your data using SQLite, iPhone’s built-in database management system and Core Data, the standard for persistence that Apple brought to iOS with the release of SDK 3.   And there’s much more! You’ll learn to draw using Quartz 2D and OpenGL ES, add multitouch gestural support (pinches and swipes) to your applications, and work with the camera, photo library, accelerometer, and built-in GPS. You’ll discover the fine points of application preferences and learn how to localize your apps for multiple languages. You'll also learn how to use the new concurrency APIs included in iOS 4, and make robust multithreaded applications using Grand Central Dispatch.   For iPhone 4S or iOS 5 apps development, please instead check out the next edition of this book, Beginning iOS 5 Development - now available.

Genres: Programming, Technology, Software, Reference

692 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2010

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, I decided it was time to get serious about app development. No, I'm not switching from PC to Mac. There is room for both in my world, with PC still being the dominant environment.

I started in on my first iPhone app before I even finished this book. The book basically gave me the foundation, but it was not nearly good enough for what I needed to develop the app I had in mind, which was not terribly complicated. I still spent a lot of time online looking for code samples. Objective-C is a very odd language. Probably the worst I've ever worked with. Simple task are painful. I'm sure my lack of experience contributes, but I know 5 other software languages, and they are all better then this.

In the end, the book was kind of like college. I have a degree in Computer Science, which taught me to think like a programmer. But in reality, I only used about 10% of what I learned in the real world. I'm sure college has changed for the btter in this area, but this book will only point you in the right direction, then it sets a adrift.

[Pete O'Shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very basic approach to learning XCode for development for the iPhone. Very easy to pick up and start programming straight away. As well as walking you through lots of simple example the book also helps explain in detail how the desired effect was created.

I did find that there was a fair bit of extra info required when I started creating my own apps but this is a pretty good place to start.

[Dean Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh... it was ok. I think I was late to the game though... as I was trying to use this book to do iOS 5 development. Somethings were a 1-to-1 translation while others I had to scour the web for. Definitely became dated fast. Although, that's not the authors fault. Overall, the book was OK. A bit long winded (but that's always my complaint for books!)