I don't consider myself much of a programmer. Creating webpages with HTML and CSS is pretty easy, but when it comes to working with PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, or other languages, I frequently turn to books and tutorials to help me figure out what's possible vs. what I want to accomplish. Building iPhone Apps… by Jonathan Stark shows n00b programmers like myself, how to make apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. However, it's more acurate to say that it teaches people to make websites using an iPhone-ish look-and-feel. The book assumes the reader has some experience with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but doesn't require people to be experts in those languages. In other words, it's accessible for people who rarely do coding.
Like most programming books the first chapter covers the basics: HTML, CSS, JavaScript. It also discusses the differences between a web app and a native app, and the pros and cons of the different approaches. Subsequent chapters deal mostly with coding and how to make web pages look like iPhone apps. The book also covers important tools like jQuery, PhoneGap, and XCode, all of which extend the functionality of webpages and turn them into actual applications suitable for the iPhone.
The book is slim at less than 200 pages, but it's also to-the-point. With some programming books, I get the feeling authors are paddding the word count or page count by including material that isn't absolutely necessary. This book keeps the fluff to a minimum, and it gains clarity from the brevity. Though it isn't a huge programming book, it doesn't waste the reader's time. The examples and discussions within the book are useful and informative, without straying too far off topic.
The only potential drawback for this book is that it came out in January 2010 - the same month that Apple announced the iPad. The iPad uses the same operating system as the iPhone, and it's expected to have a number of changes in the not-too-distant future. I don't expect it will change the usefulness of this book - web apps created for the iPhone will still work. However, I wonder about the differences between iPhone apps and iPad apps. Supposedly it's not a huge leap from one to the other, but there are definite differences between the two platform. It makes me think this book will need a Second Edition soon, or it will need some sort of addendum available online. Will the iPad get a different book, or will it be included in future editions of this book?
Despite the drawback, I still recommend this book. It's short, but it doesn't waste the reader's time. It's useful, informative, clear, and easy-to-follow. I wish more programming books were as clear and as brief.