iPhone SDK Development (The Pragmatic Programmers) [Paperback]

Bill Dudney (Author), Christopher Adamson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1934356255 | ISBN-13: 978-1934356258 | Publication Date: October 16, 2009 | Edition: 1

Packing the power of desktop applications into a small mobile device, the iPhone SDK offers developers the ability to create dynamic, visually-appealing, and highly-capable mobile applications, using the same APIs and tools that Apple uses for its own applications.

However, harnessing that power means learning new tools, new APIs, and even a whole new programming language.

iPhone SDK Development is a Pragmatic guide to get you started developing applications for iPhone and iPod touch. With it, you'll get a complete understanding of the tools and techniques needed to succeed on the platform:

Use the XCode IDE to manage your source code, images, sounds, database files, and other application resources, building your app and deploying it onto your own device for testing.

Develop your user interface the visual, code-free way, with Interface Builder.

Master the iPhone's unique user interface components, including tables, tab bars, navigation bars, and the multi-touch interface.

Connect your iPhone to the outside world with networking, exploit the power of a relational database with SQLite, and rock out with first-class support for audio and video.

Make use of the iPhone's unique mobile APIs, like geolocation and the motion-sensing accelerometer

Use XCode's powerful performance and debugging tools to eliminate memory leaks, zombies, and other hazards.

* Understand the process for packaging your application for end-user distribution through Apple's App Store.

With explanations of the big picture and an eye to the little details that you'll need, iPhone SDK Development will help you succeed on today's most important mobile platform.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bill Dudney is a software developer and entrepreneur currently building software for the Mac. Bill started his computing career on a NeXT cube with a magneto-optical drive running NeXTStep 0.9. Over the years Bill migrated into the Java world where he worked for years on building cool enterprise software. But he never forgot his roots and how much fun it was to write software that did cool things for normal people. Bill is back to AppKit to stay. You can follow him on his blog at http://bill.dudney.net/roller/objc.

Chris Adamson is a writer, editor, developer and consultant specializing in media software development. He is the author of QuickTime for Java: A Developer's Notebook (O'Reilly) and co-author of Swing Hacks (O'Reilly) and has served as Editor for the developer websites ONJava and java.net. He maintains a corporate identity as Subsequently and Furthermore, Inc. (http://www.subfurther.com/) and writes the [Time code]; blog at http://www.subfurther.com/blog.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Pragmatic Bookshelf; 1 edition (October 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934356255
• ISBN-13: 978-1934356258
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #280,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > Software Engineering > Multimedia Information Systems
  • #31 in Books > Computers & Technology > Digital Music > iPods

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 0 to iPhone App in 6 months, November 10, 2009

By 

Robert Fenchel - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: iPhone SDK Development (The Pragmatic Programmers) (Paperback)

Bought a Macbook, bought an iPod Touch, bought iPhone SDK Development book (in beta at the time) ... read, experimented, followed tips and used on-line examples from excellent web site associated with book ... result: "BeatTheSwine09" game now for sale in iTunes app store. Thank you Dudney and Adamson for providing the right stuff at the right time.

Clearly written, well-organized, comprehensive (includes chapters on debugging, performance tuning and marketing). The right mix to train and guide programmers through all stages of the development and deployment of an iPhone app.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reliable Resource for iPhone Development, October 6, 2009

By 

Jerry Palmerino Jr (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: iPhone SDK Development (The Pragmatic Programmers) (Paperback)

I have been reading beta-versions (preview PDFs) of this book for quite some time now. I have watched it grow from just a few chapters to a complete tour-de-force on iPhone development. I even asked for a web services chapter in the author's website forums, and sure enough, the authors added such a chapter. Surely they didn't do it just for me, but the fact that the authors took feedback from readers during the beta phases of the text, is a testament to their willingness to produce a useful book.

The book contains EVERYTHING from getting started to writing a Twitter client, using Core Data, the accelerometer, and the Map Kit to name a few. The early chapters feature a lot of hand-holding, which is a good thing for those new to XCode and iPhone development. The later chapters feel more advanced with less hand-holding. For my tastes, I could have used more guidance in the later chapters, but it is understandable since the later chapters feature more advanced topics.

The most exciting thing for me is my first app has now been published on the App Store! This book played an integral role in getting my app through the approval process. There is a chapter at the end of the book especially useful in this regard.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic resource, this book makes sure you understand what's going on, October 19, 2009

By 

Ray (Riverside) - See all my reviews

This review is from: iPhone SDK Development (The Pragmatic Programmers) (Paperback)

I have been learning iPhone and Mac OSX programming for the last 9 months, coming from no programming experience. I can put together a basic iPhone app, and I feel confident in my ability to make sense of code, particularly Objective-C.

With that said, I have been waiting for this book to come out for several months, but the wait was well worth it. The authors of this book openly state that to get the most of of the book, the reader must have a solid programming foundation (though nothing too extreme) to understand what is going on. This book is not the first book on iPhone application development one should read.

The strongest aspect of this book is that it plays off the fact that readers know what they are doing, at least somewhat, and takes the extra step to explain what exactly is going on behind the scenes programmatically. I think this is incredibly valuable because other intro to iPhone development books do not seem to want to overwhelm their readers. I really learn a lot better when I know why things are occurring, and this book supplies that information. If you are serious about becoming an iPhone developer, make sure you add this book to your library because this book is definitely the best book on iPhone development out there.

Just make sure you understand Objective-C, are comfortable with xcode and IB, and have at least tinkered with the iPhone SDK before diving in.