Getting Started.
Where do you currently sit in the realm of mobile application development? Are you and iPhone application developer wanting to expand into Android? Or maybe its vice-versa? Or are you completely new and keen to get into the industry?
Whichever your case, now more than ever is the best time to get involved in application development and expand your repertoire of talents. This series of articles will hopefully give you some new insight into the two dominant spheres of application development, that being Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android.
We’ll uncover the basic differences with the developer kits and delve into some of the obstacles you may be faced with between the two platforms. So sit down, get yourself comfy and read on!
Are you a PC or a Mac?
To start with, what do you currently own to write your apps on? Are you a PC user with Windows or possibly even Linux? If that is you, and you’re also in no position to buy a Mac (but how could you resist those sweet new 15″ Retina Macbook Pros!!) well then you’re decision may be pretty much already.
While the Android SDK can be made available on Windows, Linux and Mac, Apple has restricted development of iOS apps from their range of Intel based Mac’s only. So unless you’re the Hackintosh type who can build your own Mac, you’ll already be struggling with choice if you can’t get your hands on a Mac.
(Did I mention the new 15″ Retina Macbook Pro? I should have, it looks amazing. Go on, you know you want it too. Go get it, then you at least have an excuse to at least still have a choice between Android and iOS, amiright?)
Availability
Both the Android SDK and the iOS SDK are free to have although there are some catches, especially for iOS. For Android, Google has made it simple and it is available to everyone as a free download after agreeing to their licence. The standard developer environment that comes within the SDK download for Android is Eclipse and Google provides a plug-in for incorporating the Android SDK tools with it.
Apple on the other hand has made things just that bit more trickier. Firstly, you’ll need to an Apple Developer Connection subscriber, which can be free depending on your level of membership, and agreeing to their very strict license. Even then, their license can change and you might have you’re app not accepted any more, which is discussed in the next point below regarding app approval.
Once you are eligible to download the iOS SDK, Apple bundles their same Apple proprietary developer tools that are used to write applications for their Mac OS X applications. The SDK includes Xcode, Interface Builder and Instruments and will either be familiar territory or another learning curve for those who haven’t used this approach before.
App Approval (And Denial)
Apple has been getting media attention from the start with their strict enforcement of their terms and conditions. A consideration when developing for iOS is that it will need to be accepted by Apple first, which may take weeks before your app hit their App Store.
So be aware if you’re developing a possibly murky app, be aware that Apple undertakes a high level of scrutiny over all apps in their ecosystem, which could lead to your denial. That’s a pretty big blow to find out if you’ve put in months of development.
Google however are a little more relaxed and you’ll find your App available almost immediately once you submit it. You’ll also not find there to be as many hurdles to jump over when developing for Android, which may be your game changer on choosing your platform.
That’s it for Part 1, coming up we’ll talk Java and Objective-C and the implicit challenges that will arise from understanding these languages for app development.
