iOS 6 Programming Cookbook

Preface

The long-awaited iOS 6 SDK (Software Development Kit) is finally out, and we need to learn about all the great features that this release offers us. Apple did a great job adding new features to the SDK and, of course, to iOS itself. iOS 6 is much more stable than the previous versions of iOS, as you would expect. Things move very fast in Apple’s world, and the iOS SDK is no exception. Obviously, picking up this book is an indication that you are ready to start learning all there is to know about iOS 6 SDK, and that is fantastic.

I’ve personally worked with companies of various sizes around the world and have been developing software pretty much since I was about seven years old. (I started out on my father’s Commodore 64 before moving on to an Intel 80186 machine, an 80286, and then Pentium machines.) I did a lot of assembly development as well as some OS programming, including writing a kernel of a toy operating system. I really enjoy software development and have true passion for it. I can express myself using programming, and that’s probably the main reason I enjoy writing apps and software in general. Since 2007, I’ve solely focused on writing iOS apps, and have been working with some really high-profile companies around the world to help them with their projects. I’ve worked with Scrum Masters (for whom I have much respect), project managers, delivery managers, release managers, testers, and fellow iOS developers—and have done my best to learn as much as possible from them. This edition of the book is the product of all the knowledge that I have gained in many years writing iOS apps.

This edition of the book is especially exciting for me, because of all the modifications and fine-tuning we have done to it as a result of going through the feedback that we received in the last two editions. In this edition, obviously you will learn all about the new features of iOS 6 SDK. On top of that, you will learn about Pass Kit, Auto Layout constraints, file/folder management, customization of UI components, and much more. Of course, you will also learn about all the cool new features that Apple has added to the LLVM compiler and the runtime, such as autosynthesized properties, expression boxing, and collection subscripting.