Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Category: Apple

For Newbie iOS Developers

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On January 5, 2012

In Apple, Programming, Technology

After talking to a good friend of mine who had several questions for me on how one would get started developing iOS apps, I thought my advice was worth putting into a post. After all, I’m still a bit of a newbie iOS developer myself. So I thought I would share my experiences for other aspiring developers while all of the steps are still fresh in my mind.

The IDE

There are going to be some costs up front, especially if you don’t own a Mac. The IDE for developing iOS applications is Xcode and it can only run on a Mac. There are some projects out there that have tried to create a windows IDE but I haven’t seen anything that was successful and wasn’t a painful process to setup. You can try running a Virtual Machine and install OS X but you might run into some hardware complications. Honestly, if you are serious about developing iOS apps, go out and buy a Mac.

iOS Developer Program

Once you have a Mac to use for development the next thing you want to get is Xcode. You can download Xcode from the Mac app store and you can either pay $4.99 or you can sign up for the iOS Developer Program and download it for free. The iOS Developer Program is an annual subscription of $99 a year. Obviously you get more amenities other than Xcode for free. If you plan on distributing your app via the app store and/or you want to deploy an app to any iOS device (including your own) you will need to sign up for this. Xcode does come with an emulator so if you want to hold off until you are more comfortable, that’s what I would recommend, but bear in mind the emulator cannot test any email or Internet/Wi-Fi functionality.

If you want to develop apps for the Mac or Safari, they each have their own developer programs and will cost you another $99 a year for each.

Recommended Readings

I know that the Internet is an abyss of developer forums, tutorials and blogs which may, or may not have sufficient information to get you started developing iOS apps. I initially started out by searching for iOS tutorials and most of the advice people had was to go out and buy a book, so I bought two. Here are the two books I bought, which I highly recommend:

Subscribing to the iOS Developer Program also gives you access to developer resources such as videos, libraries and forums. You can also get code level assistance from Apple engineers (apple developer link).

The App Store

I thought I would finish with some things to keep in mind when you go to post your app to the app store. When you submit your app it first has to be reviewed and this process can take up to seven days, depending on the complexity of the app. You are responsible for setting the price of the app; you will receive 70% of the sales revenue, Apple will take 30%. There are no additional fees for posting free apps, credit cards, hosting or marketing.

That’s all I have for now, I hope you found this useful. If more tips come to mind, I will do a part two or something. Good luck!

Cheers!

To Those Crazy Enough To Change The World

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On October 7, 2011

In Apple, General Cogitation, Technology

“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs

Apple, the computer industry and the world lost a great man this week.

I was not the biggest Apple fan. In fact, for a long time I despised Apple, but I admired Steve Jobs. The innovation and creativity he brought to the world and the industry has made him a legend. I’m a born again fan, much like a born again Christian but I don’t belong among the ranks of the true Apple fanboys.

Industry leaders, fans and professionals in the computer industry have been calling Steve Jobs a modern day Thomas Edison. Yes, I agree. I personally believe the influence his ideas and products has had on the world has truly had the same impact as the discoveries and inventions of other legends like Edison, Einstein and Marconi. His products have not only changed the way the world communicates and shares data but has also broken down borders and united the world.

I mourn his passing because I have had a recent personal experience of losing my wife’s uncle to neuroendocrine tumors. I hope, now that NET has taken the lives of two great men, that there will be an increased public awareness.

Rest In Peace, Steve Jobs. The world has lost a visionary, a mentor and a legend and you will be terribly missed!

Biggs On: The Tethering Conspiracy

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On April 4, 2011

In Apple, Biggs On, Technology

I was excited when I first heard about the personal hotspot feature in iOS 4.3. I knew that I was getting the wi-fi only version of the iPad and I thought the personal hotspot was the solution to limited wi-fi availability. Of course, as many of us predicted, AT&T said “not so fast!” and decided they would charge us an additional fee to use the personal hotspot.

As you probably know by now, that started a huge flame war on the Internet. Personally I think cell phone carriers deserve all the hate mail they are getting.

I can see no reason, from a technical perspective, why additional fees are necessary. I bought the phone, I’m paying for the data plan, why should it matter to AT&T how I use my data?!? AT&T has turned into the tethering Gestapo, seeking out and punishing all that are jail breaking their phones to avoid the service charge. The motive to charge this extra service fee is obviously driven by leveraging the growing tablet excitement to turn a profit. Greed is a powerful motivator.

I won’t be jail breaking anything, I enjoy my gadgets too much to risk getting branded by the Gestapo, but I will be supporting the effort to reduce it’s abuse by the cell phone companies.

**This post written and published from my iPad**

Biggs On: More Microsoft Shennanigans

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On April 1, 2011

In Apple, Microsoft, Technology

It’s really sad to see a grown monopoly pout. Microsoft has lost their innovative edge on the industry, they are grappling to keep up with all the new kids. The unfortunate thing about Microsoft is when someone beats them to the punch, they don’t take the high road and try to take the next innovative step, instead they sue you.

Microsoft hasn’t come up with something truly innovative in years; Apple, Google, even Barnes and Noble have been leading the industry with their innovative gadgets and tools. So instead of trying to think for themselves Microsoft decides they deserve a piece of everyone’s pie which can only be acquired with a lawsuit. Microsoft’s new paradigm is “if you can’t beat em, sue em!” First they start with Barnes and Noble who is being sued by Microsoft for patents violated with their nook e-reader. Barnes and Noble laid a golden egg with their nook (and the new nook Color) and since Microsoft didn’t make a successful e-reader they want a piece of the nook’s success – an e-reader from Microsoft probably would have sucked anyway! The part that disgusts me the most is that Microsoft will probably win their lawsuit, after all it worked with the iPod and now Microsoft receives a small royalty for every iPod sold.

The best is yet to come. Microsoft has filed a lawsuit against Google in the EU for anticompetitive search technology. It’s laughable that Microsoft is actually filing an antitrust suit and we all know they will win because the only thing Microsoft is good at anymore is antitrust law.

Microsoft should change their name to Dewey, Cheatum & Howe.

Its frustrating to be an IT professional, developing software using .Net when the manufacturer of your tools and technology is an embarrassment. When will we stop playing such petty games and get some real work done?

In closing, to add additional emphasis to the tone of my previous post, this post was completely written and published using the iPad 2! 🙂

iPad 2 – One Week Later

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On March 31, 2011

In Apple, Technology

iPad 2I have had my iPad 2 for about a week now and I’m sure many are wondering what I think so far. I could sum up my experience thus far by simply saying I’m an Apple hater turned fanboy. If you are looking for a more in depth analysis I will certainly oblige.

I have not put any of my music nor have I put any movies on my iPad. I didn’t buy it to be a toy, I bought it to be a tool for work and, so far, that has been what I have primarily used it for (though having a browser at my fingertips while sitting in my recliner and watching a movie is handy). I installed an app called Penultimate and bought a stylus from Best Buy. It is a great app. Penultimate has replaced the need to ever use a paper notebook again. I am using that app religiously at work now to take notes in all my meetings and to record my notes for my research.

Actually I have put very few apps on it and the only game is Angry Birds (because only real iPhone’s or iPad’s have Angry Birds). I’m saving the space on my iPad to develop my own apps – hence the research I alluded to above.

So far the iPad 2 is worth every penny I spent on it. It has already improved my productivity and soon it will improve my skills. I am very excited to start developing some of my own apps, though I hear Objective C can be pretty awful. The smart cover brings my iPad to life immediately, so I never have to wait to start using it. The display quality and graphics are superb, though I don’t intend to use my iPad for movies, I may watch one just to get an idea of the visual quality of movies on the iPad. The quality of the pictures the camera takes is pretty decent and the camera is a feature I hope to take advantage of when I am developing apps.

So yea, I love my iPad, its pretty sweet.

Biggs’ iPad 2 Wrap-Up

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On March 7, 2011

In Apple, General Cogitation, Technology

iPad 2About a year ago I did a “Biggs On” post about the iPad and I think I was pretty harsh. I gave it a pretty average review and I probably wasn’t very fair. Over this past year I have tinkered with the iPad in the stores and played with the ones my co-workers have bought and I actually started to enjoy them more.

Then, in an astonishing turn of events, I became very excited about the announcement of the iPad 2 on March 2nd.The announcement came as no surprise to the community; actually the bigger surprise was Steve Jobs was there to make the announcement. By this point there are probably a hundred different websites and blogs that will tell you about all the new iPad 2 features or you can simply go to the apple website (http://www.apple.com/ipad). I will quickly review those features but I’m not going to spend any time delving into their importance or their meaning, just the features about the iPad 2 (and iOS 4.3) that I found most interesting.

  • A5 processor (dual core) and 9 times the graphics speed – Steve Jobs said it’s “Dramatically Faster”
  • Front and Rear camera (no surprise there, everyone knew that was coming)
  • gyroscope (this will make for some nifty games)
  • 33% thinner then the iPhone 4 (approx 8.8mm)
  • same battery life, same pricing structure
  • personal wi-fi hotspot (iOS 4.3 – SWEET – assuming AT&T doesn’t frack it up, which they will)

Considering Apple has paid out billions to app developers, the new features in iPad 2 will create several new opportunities for more apps, bigger apps, hopefully more intellectual apps (I don’t want to see a new Fart app that responds to pictures of your bum!). Opportunities that I think will make the iPad more enjoyable, more useful and more practical.

So, with all this said, you might be wondering, what is my opinion of the iPad now that we are into version 2.

I think I will save that for after I pick one up on March 11th (by the way, there is free shipping and free engraving if you order from Apple’s website on the 11th).

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