Learning iPad Programming: A Hands-On Guide to Building iPad Apps - Softcover

Turner, Kirby; Harrington, Tom

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0321885716 ISBN 13: 9780321885715

Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional, 2013

Synopsis

“Not many books have a single project that lives and evolves through the entire narrative. The reason not many books do this is because it is difficult to do well. Important toolkit features get shoehorned in weird places because the author didn’t do enough up-front design time. This book, though, takes you from design, to a prototype, to the Real Deal. And then it goes further.”

—Mark Dalrymple, cofounder of CocoaHeads, the international Mac and iPhone programmer community; author of Advanced Mac OS X Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide

 

Learning iPad Programming, Second Edition, will help you master all facets of iPad programming with Apple’s newest tools. Its in-depth, hands-on coverage fully addresses the entire development process, from installing the iOS SDK through coding, debugging, submitting apps for Apple’s review, and deployment.

 

Extensively updated for Apple’s newest iOS features and Xcode 4.x updates, this book teaches iPad programming through a series of exercises centered on building PhotoWheel, a powerful personal photo library app. As you build PhotoWheel, you’ll gain experience and real-world insights that will help you succeed with any iPad development project.

 

Leading iOS developers Kirby Turner and Tom Harrington introduce the essentials of iOS development, focusing on features that are specific to iPad. You’ll find expert coverage of key topics many iOS development books ignore, from app design to Core Data. You’ll also learn to make the most of crucial iOS and Xcode features, such as Storyboarding and Automatic Reference Counting (ARC), and extend your app with web services and the latest iCloud synching techniques.

 

Learn how to

• Build a fully functional app that uses Core Data and iCloud synching
• Use Storyboarding to quickly prototype a functional UI and then extend it with code
• Create powerful visual effects with Core Animation and Core Image
• Support AirPrint printing and AirPlay slideshows
• Build collection views and custom views, and use custom segues to perform custom view transitions 

Download the free version of PhotoWheel from the App Store today! Import, manage, and share your photos as you learn how to build this powerful app.

About this title

About the Author

Kirby Turner is an independent software developer and Chief Code Monkey at White Peak Software Inc., where he focuses on iOS and Mac programming. When Kirby is not sitting behind the keyboard, he can be
found hanging out with his wife and son, hiking the mountains of New England, kayaking the waters in and around Salem, Massachusetts, and snowboarding down mountains in search of magic powder. Follow Kirby on Twitter and App.net: @kirbyt.

Tom Harrington is an independent iOS and Mac software developer and is available for contract work, technical conferences, and parties. He also  organizes iOS developer events in Colorado. Follow Tom on Twitter and App.net: @atomicbird.

Review

“This amazing, thorough book takes an interesting approach by working through the design and development of a simple, yet realistic, iPad app from start to finish. It is refreshing to see a technical book that explains how and why without inundating you with endless toy examples or throwing you into a sea of mind-numbing details. Particularly amazing is that it does this without assuming a large amount of experience at first. Yet it covers advanced topics at sufficient depth and in a logical order for all developers to get plenty of valuable information and insight. Kirby and Tom know this material and have done a great job of introducing the various frameworks and the reasoning behind how, why, and when you would use them. I highly recommend Learning iPad Programming to anyone interested in developing for this amazing platform.”

—Julio Barros, E-String.com

 

“This is a great introduction to iPad programming with a well-done sample project built throughout. It’s great for beginners as well as those familiar with iPhone development looking to learn the differences in developing for the larger screen.”

—Patrick Burleson, Owner, BitBQ LLC (http://bitbq.com)

 

“Kirby Turner and Tom Harrington’s Learning iPad Programming provides a comprehensive introduction to one of today’s hottest topics. It’s a great read for the aspiring iPad programmer.”

—Robert Clair, Author, Learning Objective-C 2.0 

 

“Learning iPad Programming is now my go-to reference when developing apps for the iPad. This book is an absolute treasure trove of useful information and tips for developing on the iPad. While it’s easy to think of the iPad as just a bigger iPhone, there are specific topics that need to be treated differently on the iPad, such as making best use of the larger display. Learning iPad Programming provides an incredible amount of depth on all areas of iPad programming and takes you from design to fully functioning application—which for me is a killer feature of the book. This should be in everyone’s reference library.”

—Mike Daley, Author, Learning iOS Game Programming; Cofounder, 71Squared.com

 

“A truly well-rounded book with something for every iOS developer, be they aspirant or veteran. If you are new to iOS, there is a solid foundation provided in Part I that will walk you through Objective-C, the core Apple frameworks, provisioning profiles, and making the best of Xcode. If you’ve been around the block but want solid insight into iPad programming, Part II has you covered: Rather than just providing canned example code, Kirby and Tom give you real code that incrementally builds and improves a real app. And if you’ve been working with iOS for a while, but would benefit from a walk-through of the plethora of new features that have come our way with iOS 5 and Xcode 4, dive into the chapters on Storyboards, iCloud, and Core Image. Best of all, the book is well-written and conversational, making it a joy to read. This book is stellar.”

—Alexis Goldstein, Coauthor, HTML5 & CSS3 for the Real World

 

“Learning iPad Programming is one of the most comprehensive resources on the planet for those developing for Apple’s iPad platform. In addition to coverage of the language, frameworks, and tools, it dives into features new in iOS 5, like Automatic Reference Counting, Storyboarding, and connecting your applications with iCloud. But where this book really shines is in the tutorials and the application you will build as you read through this book. Rather than being a toy that employs only off-the-shelf iOS user interface components from Interface Builder, the PhotoWheel app demonstrates custom view programming and view controller containment, nonstandard gesture/user input handling, and provides insight into how a complex iOS project comprised of multiple subsystems is assembled into a shipping application. In other words, Learning iPad Programming shows how to deal with the challenges you’ll face in real iPad development.”

—Erik Price, Senior Software Engineer, Brightcove

 

“A thoroughly crafted guide for learning and writing iOS applications, from the humble beginnings in Xcode and Interface Builder to creating a full-featured iPad application. There are many books that try to cover the gamut of knowledge required to take a reader from zero to app; Kirby and Tom have actually done it in this book. It is a fun and comprehensive guide to the world of developing apps for Apple’s magical device.”

—Rod Strougo, Founder, Prop Group

 

“The iPad is changing the way we think about and use technology. Learning iPad Programming is one of the most in-depth and well-executed guides to get both new and seasoned developers up to speed on Apple’s exciting new platform.”

—Justin Williams, Crew Chief, Second Gear

Edition details

• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0321885716
• ISBN 13: 9780321885715
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 747