iPhone Application Development for Dummies

Maybe because I wasn't expecting too much from this book I was pleasantly surprised when it came. If you're new to Xcode & Objective-C, if you have no experience with Cocoa and have used the Mac for the first time just a few weeks ago, this might be the right book for you. The book will get you started with Xcode, Interface Builder, Debugger and Instruments. It will guide you through the registration and AppStore application. It will even show you how to build a few simple, but complete applications. Buy this one first, then buy all the other iPhone development books.

Except for Mr. Goldsteins...iPhone Application Development For Dummies I have been writing software packages for the PC market since 1979 and I teach programming at the college level. Being a PC (Microsoft) person the iMac and iPhone are new to me. However, I fell in love with the iPhone and decided to purchase everything I could on the subject of writing Apps for it. First I had to get a handle on the iMac so I went out a bought one - a very slick machine. Then came the shock - I don't know the first thing about the iMac, iPhone, cocoa, xcode or Objective-C. The selection of books came next. O my God, I guess there's no such thing as a straight "How to do it" book anymore. After spending over $ 750 on books for both platforms, I didn't get any closer to my goal. All the available books were written for experienced Apple programmers - they also started teaching development in the wrong direction - write code, write code, write code then work on the interface. Anyone who developed Apps with Microsoft's ".Net" platforms learned to build the interface first - then code the events. This is how "iPhone Application Development for Dummies" leads you through the process of developing Apps. Every step is explained in simple terms and reinforced by example. If you want to get a handle on writing Apps for the iPhone this "For Dummies" book is the only one you need to purchase. Everything else is on Apple's iPhone developers Web site.

I am about half way through this book - it really is well done. It goes into control flow in depth which is an important subject - control flow is somewhat unique on the iphone. You may want to have some knowledge of objective-c to fully understand all the information presented, however its not critical. There are some typos as another reviewer pointed out, fortunately most of them ( if not all ) are easy to catch and correct by the reader. Great book for the price - get it!

This book is a excellent primer to understanding iphone app development. I tried other "beginner" books (before this was released) and was dismayed at their complexity. This book starts at the beginning and gives you a sound foundation. I am a fair PHP, javascript programmer. This is my first foray into Mac/iphone apps. One thing I really like about the book is that the Mr. Goldstein builds code using the interface builder. Using the interface builder makes complex coding much easier. I heard he is writing other books on objective-C and a more detailed iphone book apps ... I can't wait!

I got this book this past Friday (May 8, 2009) and so far I have already devoured 5 chapters! I have tried reading, studying and learning how to program on the iPhone from other sources but found them to be over the top or just too complicated. Also the amount of material already on the subject can be overwhelming. iPhone Application Development has made learning the ins and out of the iPhone Framework, environment, programming concepts, design, etc easy and accessible to grasp and learn. The author does an exceptional job in explaining difficult concepts easy to follow and understand. He will walk you through this process from the beginning! I highly recommend this book to anyone considering learning how to program on this amazing device called the iPhone! Before you read any other book on the subject save yourself a lot of frustration by reading this book first. You'll be glad you did! Can't wait to continue learning from this book and looking forward to building my first iPhone app and contributing to the richness and the wealth already available and accessible for the iPhone.