Saturday, July 12, 2014

Design Programming with Apple SDK - Part 1

Setting-up the Development Software

In order to create our iOS app, we are going to need a Mac with an Intel processor and Xcode. There is no getting around the fact that you will need a Mac computer with an Intel Processor to develop iOS apps. So if you don’t have a Mac and are serious about learning to develop apps for iPhones, iPads or iPod Touch’s, then you will have to buy or borrow a Mac with an Intel Processor.

The second piece of the puzzle is Apple’s IDE (Integrated Development Environment) Xcode that we will be using to help us to create our app. First you should register as an Apple Developer here:
https://developer.apple.com/programs/register/.

For now you can sign up for the free developer account. But if you want to test your app on a physical device or if you want to upload your app to the App Store, then you will have to upgrade to the paid iOS Developer account that presently costs $99 per year. With the free developer account, we will still be able to write apps and test them on the iOS Simulator.

After registering for an Apple Developer account, we are ready to download and install Xcode. You should be able to find the software through this website: https://developer.apple.com/xcode/. This process might take you to the Mac App Store, depending upon which OS version is installed on your Mac. In the App Store you click where it says Free; then click where it says Install App; then type in your Apple ID and password. After you agree to the legal stuff, Xcode will begin to download. If you click on Purchases (yes I know it’s free software but this is where you have to go) at the top of the App Store, you will be taken to a page where it shows the progress of the download. Please be patient, because the download may take a while. The Xcode software should install automatically after it has downloaded.

Read Next - Design Programming with Apple SDK - Part 2

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