The Amazing iOS 6 Maps
The Amazing iOS 6 Maps is a Tumblr devoted to showcasing the shortcomings of the new Maps application in iOS 6.
I’ve also enjoyed this twist on the “Condescending Wonka” meme:
iPhone 5 Lines and Samsung’s Response
Here’s a photo of an iPhone 5 line in Australia posted by @iFixit at 3:55 p.m. EDT:
Here’s the same line an hour later, with the sun having risen:
There are similar lines in the other eight countries where the iPhone 5 will be available at Apple Stores on Friday.
Anticipating this sort of response (and probably stinging from being called out as copycats and getting a one billion dollar speeding ticket for doing so), Samsung have put out this rather funny ad mocking the sort of Apple fan who lines up for the latest iDevice:
Matt Campbell on iOS Development
Matt Campbell, author of the excellent book Objective-C Recipes and the Mobile App Mastery site, mailed out this advice to subscribers to the Mobile App Mastery mailing list:
I’ve been getting all kinds of questions about being an indy app publisher and mobile apps in general. Let’s see if I can answer some of these now.
Do I Need To Quit My Job?
Not at all. Once you are comfortable with iOS development you can build an app in your spare time. Mobile app development with iOS particularly is probably much less complicated that what your are used to. This actually makes it ideal as a side project.
In fact, I had two apps developed and going strong before I quit my job. The nice thing about iOS as a side gig are that it’s like giving yourself a bonus whenever you want while keeping your secure paycheck.
It’s really up to you when it comes to this. I quit because I was determined to start my own business (with or without mobile apps).
Is iOS, Windows or Android The Best?
These are all great mobile platforms and there are more – you can even make mobile web apps. I recommend iOS for a few reasons:
iOS is the easiest system because it is closed. You don’t need to worry about the hardware and you can focus on the code. You must use things from Apple’s vertical stack and this makes it very easy to use.
Apple has the best customers. Almost everyone I know who developers for multiple platforms agree that the Apple app store customers are the best.
Apple is vertically integrated. It’s frankly a no-brainer to port your iPhone app to the iPad and Mac appstores potentially tripling your revenue. They all use the same programming language and iPad and Mac are as easy as iPhone to develop for.
How Hard Is It To Learn iOS, Really?
I won’t lie – learning iOS development at first is daunting even for experienced programmers. It’s because the patterns are so different than what most of us were used to. I went at it alone and it took me a good three months to get started. Of course you can cut down on that time these days and I’ve been able to get developers up to speed in a matter of days with iPhone Boot Camp.
All that being said – once you learn iOS it becomes almost absurdly easy to develop and publish apps. One day you will “just get it” and after that it really does become second nature. Most developers who work with iOS fall in love with the system (me included).
Ray Wenderlich’s iOS 6 Feast
Ray Wenderlich’s site on iOS development — you should have it bookmarked if you’re even thinking about writing iOS apps — has announced the iOS 6 Feast, a smorgasbord of information and tutorials for developers looking to dive into the latest version of iOS. Check it out — you don’t want to miss it!