Safari® and WebKit Development for iPhone® OS 3.0

Chapter 16. The iPhone SDK: From Web App to Native App

As I discussed in Chapter 1, "Introducing Safari/WebKit Development for iPhone 3.0," the world of iPhone applications has two breeds: native apps that are installed and run on the device, and Web apps that run inside of Safari on iPhone. The focus of this book has been on creating Web-based applications. But suppose you develop a Web app and find that, as time goes on, needs change and you must consider a native solution instead. Or suppose your user base is clamoring for a native version of your app, but you have no clue how to go about developing one.

If your experience has been primarily with Web technologies, don't simply dismiss the idea of porting to a native solution because you do Web. You may find that moving your app to the native iPhone platform is not only the best move for your application and user base, but the best move for you professionally — learning a new skill set while you port.

In this final chapter, I'll introduce you to native iPhone application development. As part of that, you'll explore the advantages and disadvantages of both breeds as well as the iPhone 3.0 SDK. I'll also talk about PhoneGap, which is a unique open source solution for wrapping your Web-based app inside a native shell.

Comparing the Strengths of Web Apps and Native Apps

Let's face it: The iPhone is not a level playing field for native and Web apps. Unfortunately for Web developers, it is biased toward native solutions. The iPhone App ...