Head First iPhone and iPad Development, 3rd Edition

Chapter 1. Getting Started: Getting mobile with iOS

The iPhone changed everything.

When Steve Jobs said that’s what would happen at the unveiling of the iPhone, people were skeptical. Six years later, iPhones and iPads are being used in business and medicine as enterprise devices, and the App Store is a platform for every developer to use, from one-man shows to big-name companies. Apple provides the software and we’ll help you with the knowledge—we’re sure you’ve got the enthusiasm covered.

So you want to build an iOS app...

Mobile development used to be the hip new thing: you were trendy—edgy, even—if you had a mobile app. Those days are gone. Mobile development is everywhere. There are already over 500 million iOS devices out there. By writing an iOS app, you have access to millions of potential users (demanding users, but users all the same).

Back at the beginning of mobile development you could get away with a flashlight application or an app that made noises at the push of a button. Users expect more now. They expect high-resolution graphics that support multiple device orientations, and fast, reliable apps that handle coming in and out of train tunnels without batting an eyelash. Here’s the good news, though: jump into this book, work through the exercises, write some code, and you can have your moment of glory on the iTunes App Store right next to names like EA Games and Apple ...