iPhone Application Development for Dummies

Posted by Chris on Nov 1, 2009 in iOS Apps, Reviews | 0 comments

I have finished reading iPhone Application Development for Dummies. All in all it was a good intro into development, if you have experience with C or even Objective-C. Since I do not have a background in either of these languages the book really just served as a tool for brushing up on Xcode and Interface Builder.

A few things I didn’t like about this book include:

• The author is continuously making comments about advanced things you could do, but it is not covered in the scope of the book.
• I think the book requires to much prior knowledge in C development especially for a dummies book.
• The entire book is based around the authors programs that he has written, and not doesn’t give examples of the small “learning” programs.

Things I liked about the book:

• The author explains what every part of the code does for his programs.
• The book is well written with few typos.
• The programs all seem to work just as they are written.
• The book provides great examples of how to use the authors code in your own programs, but also mentions advanced features that “you have to work out on your own.”
• The book explains the entire process of developing apps, from signing up with apple, to writing code, to signing your programs, to distributing them, a very nice guide for the confusing process.

I would recommend this book to people with a decent background in C or Objective-C, but I would recommend Programming in Objective-C 2.0 as a good beginner for those of not familiar with C or Objective-C. I am currently reading this book ~100 pages in, and I have learned a great deal already. It also helps that I have a decent background in Java which is semi similar to Objective-C.

You can pick up both of these books at the links provided for a decent price from Amazon.

Related posts:

1. First iPhone App Finished!
2. Learning to Develop Apps for the iPhone
3. Very Busy Lately
4. Huge in a Hurry: My First Week