iPhone OS Programming Guide: Introduction

03/09/2008 17:21

Introduction
Contents:
Who Should Read This Document? Organization of This Document Providing Feedback See Also iPhone OS comprises the operating system and technologies that you use to run applications natively on iPhone and iPod touch devices. iPhone OS is a new platform but builds upon the knowledge and technology that went into the creation of Mac OS X. Because the needs of a mobile device are different than those of a Macintosh computer, iPhone OS was built with mobile users in mind. iPhone OS introduces new design concepts and technologies that provide a more intuitive user experience while also providing the performance and battery life users expect. iPhone OS also incorporates technologies, such as the Multi-Touch interface, that are simply not present on desktop computers.

The iPhone SDK contains the code, information, and tools you need to develop, test, run, debug, and tune applications for the iPhone OS platform. The Xcode tools have been updated to support development for the iPhone OS platform. In addition to providing the basic editing, compilation, and debugging environment for your code, Xcode also provides the launching point for testing your applications on an iPhone or iPod touch device. It also lets you run applications in the iPhone simulator, which mimics the basic iPhone OS environment on your local Macintosh computer.

http://developer.apple.com/iphone/library/documentation/iPhone/Conual/iPhoneOSProgrammingGuide/Introduction/chapter_1_section_1.html

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iPhone OS Programming Guide: Introduction

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Who Should Read This Document?

This document is targeted at developers who are new to the iPhone OS platform and who want to understand the available technologies and how to use those technologies to build applications. Although many of the technologies described in this document are also present in Mac OS X, this document does not assume any familiarity with Mac OS X or its technologies. iPhone Programming Guide is an essential guide for anyone looking to develop software for iPhone and iPod touch devices. It provides an overview of the technologies and tools that have an impact on the development process and provides you with important technical information about how to build applications for the platform. You should use this document to do the following: Orient yourself to the iPhone OS platform Learn about iPhone software technologies, why you might want to use them, and when. Learn how to create applications and run them in iPhone OS. Get tips and guidance on the best ways to design and implement your applications.

Organization of This Document

This document has the following chapters and appendix. iPhone OS Overview provides a conceptual overview of iPhone OS and how you create applications. iPhone OS Technologies provides an overview of the technologies in iPhone OS and where you can go to get more information about them. Development Environment provides an overview of Xcode tools and how you use them to develop applications for iPhone OS. Application Design Guidelines provides guidance to help you design applications that will run efficiently and be easy for users to understand. The Application Environment contains information about how to use and configure the UIApplication object, which is at the heart of every iPhone application. Windows and Views describes the iPhone windowing model and shows you how you use views to organize your user interface. Event Handling describes the iPhone event model and shows you how to handle Multi-Touch events. Graphics and Drawing describes the graphics architecture of iPhone OS and shows you how to draw shapes and images and incorporate animations into your content. Audio and Video Technologies shows you how to use the audio and video technologies available in iPhone OS. Device Features shows you how to integrate features such as location tracking, the accelerometers, and the built-in camera into your application.

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Application Preferences shows you how to implement the interface for your application preferences. Apple Applications URL Schemes provides information about the system-supported URL schemes that are used to launch other applications.

Providing Feedback
If you have feedback about the documentation, you can provide it using the built-in feedback form at the bottom of every page. If you encounter bugs in Apple software or documentation, you are encouraged to report them to Apple. You can also file enhancement requests to indicate features you would like to see in future revisions of a product or document. To file bugs or enhancement requests, go to the Bug Reporting page of the ADC website, which is at the following URL: http://developer.apple.com/bugreporter/ You must have a valid ADC login name and password to file bugs. You can obtain a login name for free by following the instructions found on the Bug Reporting page.

See Also
The following documents provide additional information related to iPhone development:

UIKit Framework Reference provides reference information for the classes discussed in this document. Cocoa Fundamentals Guide provides information on the design patterns and practices used by iPhone applications. View Controller Programming Guide for iPhone OS provides information on the use of view controllers in creating interfaces for iPhone applications. iPhone Human Interface Guidelines provides information about how to design the user interface of an iPhone application. The Objective-C 2.0 Programming Language introduces Objective-C and the Objective-C runtime system, which is the basis of much of the dynamic behavior and extensibility of iPhone OS.

Last updated: 2008-07-08

http://developer.apple.com/iphone/library/documentation/iPhone/Conual/iPhoneOSProgrammingGuide/Introduction/chapter_1_section_1.html

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