iOS Development with Swift: Why and How
The widespread adoption of the smartphone
has grabbed everyone’s attention. The accessibility they provide is unrivalled
by any other device. In this highly connected world, mobile applications have
become a standard practice for businesses to reach their customers and app
development services demand skyrocketed.
Big corporations saw the potential of
apps and started to invest in mobile app development companies but now everyone
is eyeing to utilize this platform as much as possible to grow their business.
Apple on one hand is the most respected
company worldwide and the prestige that the iOS apps have is unrivalled.
Android too is a great platform but Apple has its own place.
The first iPhone resulted in a smartphone
revolution that everyone was hoping for years. Similarly, when Apple came up
with iPad the whole industry rushed to innovate and develop tablets to compete
with the product.
Consumers know Apple’s reputation and
this has followed them to the App store. This may also benefit you.
Why should you build for Apple?
Apple however good is still not on the
same note as Android. We can find millions of apps on Play Store and whatever
we can even think of is already available to download. This is something that
the App Store lacks.
Then
Why?
There are numerous reasons for this.
Apple holds the title for the most popular platform in the US and iOS has many
other advantages on Android.
Apple is no longer just a company, it’s a
brand. And not building apps for Apple will only mean that you are not that big
of a company because of the perception of people.
Although the ideal situation will be
creating an application for both iOS and Android, this will increase the
potential and you will not be left with any platform.
A few reasons why you shouldn’t ignore
the App Store are here.
1. Return on Investment
Developing an application is by no means
cheap and the cost needs to be recovered and the desire for a strong return on
investment is everyone’s need. After all, profit is what makes these apps
happen.
Apple is the leader in paying customers.
Users of iOS have proven to be willing to pay for the services they use.
Android on the other hand is more open sourced and offers various free apps
which makes it very unlikely for the customers to pay for the app.
2. Efficient Developing
Android as a platform is spread over an
array of devices, but with iOS, we know it is only for iPhone and iPad. This
makes it easier for developers as they only have to focus on limited devices.
With the introduction of M1 Macs which allows
Ios apps to run natively on Mac, developers can create apps that can run on
most Apple devices which reduce the whole cost.
3. Security
Security and privacy are the biggest
highlights of Apple products. They have the reputation of being secure and safe
from cyberattacks because of their closed ecosystem. Their Macs are reputed to
be the safest in the industry, and iOS excels in keeping its users safe in the
whole ecosystem.
People don’t have to worry about their
personal data getting leaked by means of some hack or cyber-attack.
Is Swift worth Learning
Earlier late Steve Jobs had a feeling
towards Java, but iOS apps tend to be built using Objective-C. This language is
however not very learner-friendly and is difficult to master. After the demand
for iOS apps skyrocketing following the popularity of iPhones a new language
was needed.
Apple decided to create an alternative
language that was easy to learn and now it is the main programming language to
develop iOS apps.
Swift was with education in mind and is
hence a lot learner-friendly. Swift is powerful and offers simple syntax and
helps to develop apps faster.
As Apple’s reputation, Swift is 2.6x
faster than Objective -C and 8.4x faster than Python.
Swift creators also acknowledged the fact
that for any language to become mainstream, the technology should be open for
all. Hence, after just 3 years of its creation, Swift acquired a large
supportive community and numerous app development services were provided.
How to Get started with iOS
Development
1. Buy a Mac
There can be numerous workarounds but the
application which allows you to code for Macs and iPhones are only available on
Macs.
2. Install Xcode
Xcode can easily be installed from the
Apple store and it's free to use by all means.
3. Learn the Basics of Swift
Now, this may be the hardest part but as
discussed Swift is very learner-friendly and can be learned easily. You don’t
have to learn it all, just start developing some easy applications and then the
experience will follow.
4. Use Step by Step tutorials
The point is to start, you can use Github
to look at other people's code and learn from it or else use AppCoda, a service
that provides you with step-by-step tutorials to build your first app.You will
soon do good.
5. Publish your app on the App Store
Now, this is the main step however is
costly as you have to pay $99/ yearly to publish your app on the App Store and
most apps don’t break even the cost.
It’s up to you. However, having published
some apps on the App Store definitely will provide some valuable experience.
Another workaround to avoid this much hassle
is to outsource this job to a Mobile app development company who specialise
in app development services.
They will provide you with your app
without all this hassle.
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