iPhone App Development: The Missing Manual

Introduction

These days, there's no shortage of books about how to develop an iPhone app. But to make your product a success, you need to do much more than just create great software.

iPhone App Development: The Missing Manual takes you through the entire development process. You'll learn how to write the code for a successful title on the App Store, but just as importantly, you'll acquire the skills to design, test, and market that product.

Unlike other books that take a dry, mechanical approach to the topic, this book tells the story of a real product's development from start to finish. You'll follow along as an actual iPhone developer recounts the tale using the popular Safety Light application as a protagonist.

Creating a great iPhone app is often a group effort. Whether you're a developer, designer, marketer, or project manager, you'll find topics that get you up to speed on this new and exciting platform. And when there's more to learn, expert advice will point you in the right direction to fill in the details.

The App Store

Since the iTunes App Store's launch in July 2008, over 100,000 iPhone applications have been submitted to the store. Customers have downloaded over 3 billion applications that were created by developers just like you. The success of this endeavor has exceeded everyone's wildest expectations.

Before the App Store was launched, iPhone app development was limited to the talented engineers at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California. But in just a couple of years, thousands of developers worldwide have discovered how easy and fun it is to write software for the iPhone. And by keeping 70 cents of every dollar spent on their app in iTunes, some developers have found these apps to be very profitable.

These early adopters also learned something the hard way: This new and innovative computing device that you carry around in your pocket comes with a different set of rules. A multitouch display with ubiquitous networking in a small form presents many challenges.

The difficulties are not limited to technology, either. How you design, build, and distribute your apps requires a new way of thinking. Many developers have struggled with their initiation into a consumer mass market.

As you walk through the iPhone app development process from start to finish, you'll learn from those who preceded you. You'll avoid the pitfalls of some, while learning from the success of others. The goal, of course, is to help you make the best application possible.

Figure 1. What better way to learn iPhone app development than to watch an experienced developer build a product with step-by-step instruction? In this book, you'll see the Safety Light (A) app come to life and go on sale in the iTunes App Store.