Just as there are "Human Interface" concepts and techniques in wide use today, so it goes with the need for "Information Interface." Unfortunately, here in the Information Age, Information Interface just doesn't get the love and respect that it requires. It all comes at you in a big unordered tsunami and it's up to you to find your way through it. That's why I'm particularly keen on the Head First series of books, which takes Information Interface very seriously, in spite of first appearances. Believe me, this is not in any way a book for "dummies." Since Information Interface has been my field of study for the past 20 years, AND I'm an iPhone developer as well, I think that the Head First series is one of the most amazing things to ever come along! And it's a double bonus that there's one introducing iPhone development.
It's critically important that anyone pursuing iPhone development approach it in an orderly fashion, and this is why I agree with the other reviewers that Beginning iPhone 3 Development, along with Head First iPhone Development are the two most important must-have books which any new iPhone developer needs to use. It's my opinion, though, that YOU should decide based on your previous experience whether Head First iPhone Development is the first or the second book you'll go through cover to cover to learn iPhone development in the most quick and efficient way possible. I feel everyone should go through both books cover to cover at a minimum. The authors of Beginning iPhone 3 Development are no slouches either, and have paid incredible attention to your learning experience, albeit in a more traditional fashion.
Both books DO make sure you learn the things you need to know in an orderly fashion. However, Head First iPhone Development is excellent at making you think and making what you learn stick more deeply. It doesn't always hold your hand and helps you learn to fly on your own in gentle ways. It even cleverly avoids telling you some things which will make you wonder, and then later it almost always addresses what you were wondering about. The result is that you'll undoubtedly "love it" and not really know why, just as you love the Mac and iPhone. It all has to do with the fact that we're human beings, psychological creatures, and not machines.
As with ANY programming tutorial, you MUST FIRST go to the book's website and mark up your book with corrections before you even start on page one to avoid spinning your wheels and experiencing unnecessary frustration. It's also a great way to take a quick reconnaissance flight through the whole book as you correct any errors from its "errata" - a tradeoff of all printed material. Just do it and skip complaining about the errors.
As a co-administrator of an online iPhone development forum, I have answered a bazillion questions, and 90% are the result of not approaching your learning curve in an orderly fashion. Books are still the most efficient way for an individual to study. Having the hundreds of videos available to you are also important, but nothing can match an orderly self-paced introduction which delivers instant gratification all along the way that will keep you interested and encouraged, until you finally "get it" and can move ahead on your own. Head First iPhone Development is this developer's favorite programming book of all time, and finally, here in the second decade of the 21st century, "Information Interface" is finally getting some attention. There's far more to do than we realize when we decide to go for writing iPhone apps, and this is a critical piece in your "path of least resistance."
