First introduced in 2007, the iPhone took the world by storm. And when Apple launched the App Store to support third-party iOS applications the following year, the capabilities of the mobile device extended even further.
Today, there are millions of applications available for iOS products. Now, many businesses across sectors are quick to get into the game. They may not have the know-how in-house, however, and that’s why they are turning to iOS app development services.
For those that don’t know, iOS is the mobile operating system that runs iPhones. At one point, iOS also ran iPod Touch and iPad devices. Eventually, the iPod line of devices was no longer produced and iPads welcomed their own OS, iPadOS.
iOS was initially released on June 29, 2007, and has gone through no less than 14 iterations. The original planning of the iPhone started in 2005. This very soon led to the release of a Software Developer Kit (SDK) that enabled developers to create apps that could be installed via an App Store tucked inside of iTunes.
The iPhone OS was revealed on January 9, 2007, at the Macworld Conference & Expo and saw its initial release in June. At that time, Jobs announced that the iPhone ran OS X and could run desktop-class applications. Initially, third-party apps were not supported, with the intent of developers creating web applications that would run through Safari and would behave like native apps.
The iOS App Store finally opened on July 10, 2008, with only 500 available applications. By September of that same year, the number of applications had exploded to 3,000. As of now, there are over 2 million apps available for iOS.
iOS apps offer a number of advantages. Examples include:
However, there are a few drawbacks of note, such as:
If you or your company is looking to start developing for iOS, there are certain layers every developer should know about, including:
Core OS – all of the iOS core functionalities, including Core Bluetooth Framework, External Accessory Framework, Accelerate Framework, Security Services Framework, and Local Authorisation Framework.
Core Services – including CloudKit, Core Foundation, Core Data, Address Book, Core Motion, Healthkit, Core Location.
Media – enable all graphics, audio, and video to function. This layer includes UIKit Graphics, Core Graphics Framework, Core Animation, Media Player Framework, and AV Kit.
Cocoa Touch – the layer which enables the touch interface and includes EventKit Framework, GameKit Framework, and MapKit Framework.
Of course, there are also the fundamental features you must consider when developing for iOS, which includes:
Connectivity – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, VPN, and cellular.
Integrated Search – through files, media, applications, and email.
Gesture recognition – such as multi-touch and shaking the device to undo most recent actions.
Push email – to keep the email client up to date.
Integrated cameras – for both still and video recording.
Apple App Store – which allows installing applications, as well as purchasing music and movies.
iCloud integration – Apple’s cloud service.
Siri – the iPhone personal assistant.
AirDrop – cross-platform communications between various Apple devices.
The iOS application development process differs according to the device — iPhone or iPad. For example, iPads can run both iPhone and iPad apps, but the reverse is not true. The aspect ratio is different as well.
Our developers and professionals can perform both types of iOS development, should your business need it. Again, they will be flexible according to your unique needs.
When you outsource iOS app development to an external provider, it means that that company will work with you to meet your technical requirements as your partner. There are different outsourcing models to choose from, such as staff augmentation — when the external provider’s professionals work together with your own to bring the project to fruition — and the dedicated team model, which means the provider completes the project externally from start to finish.
It is certainly possible to <a href=”https://www.bairesdev.com/ios-developers-hiring-guide/”>hire iOS app developers</a> on a full-time basis. You should consider whether you have the need for an in-house developer or whether it would be better to work with external developers on an as-needed basis.
You can build all kinds of iOS applications. Games are the most popular category in the App Store, but it’s only one of more than 25 categories available. Other examples include Food & Drink, Entertainment, Utilities, Lifestyle, Health & Fitness, and many others.
We’re all familiar with famous iOS apps like Instagram, Skype, Duolingo, and Netflix — and the variety shows just how many niches there are.
There are several differences between iOS and Android app development. For example, iOS app development utilizes Swift, while Android app development utilizes Java or Kotlin. Each process relies on unique design guidelines — Android follows Material Design, and iOS follows Human Interface Guidelines. Another distinction is that Apple devices have standardized screen sizes, and Android devices have a wide variety of screen sizes. These are just some of the ways app development differs for iOS and Android.
Learn more about iOS app development vs. Android app development.
There are a number of essential iOS developer tools that main devs consider essential. Aside from xCode, the two main tools on everyone’s list are:
