Author: Matt Neuburg
Publisher: O'Reilly
Pages: 1016
ISBN: 978-1449319342
Aimed at: Beginner to Advanced iPhone/iPad app developers
Rating: 5
Pros: In depth coverage including tips and common mistakes
Cons: None
Reviewed by: Bill Cunningham

Want to build an app with zero experience in C or Objective-C? Then this book is for you!

Why this book doesn't have 'definitive' in the title is beyond me. I think it's perhaps the best iOS programming book I've read - by far.

It covers the subject in clear and concise terms that experienced and non-experienced developers can get up to speed quickly and with little head scratching. I wish I had read this book first before starting app development on the iOS platform.

The author covers the history and the background necessary to appreciate the changes in iOS versions.

The book starts with a very thorough introduction to C and Objective-C, including such things as which aspects of the venerable K&R book to cover if you don't know C. (K&R - that's Kernigan and Ritchie, you know the guys who wrote C and the classic book on the language - see sidebar for details.)

This is followed by a tip toe through the C landmines with stops around arrays, pointers, common C mistakes and binary operators. Then the Objective C messages and methods, class and instances are covered including some OO concepts.

Each section covers the topics in enough detail as to be useful without distracting. The author covers each topic progressing from the basics to the advanced topics with smooth and logical transitions. All the standard topics are covered such as the standard installation of the toolset, Cocoa, views, gestures and memory management.

For example the author covers each pane of the IDE, including interface design, in depth along with common mistakes and useful tips and hints along the way. Even experienced developers will find something they didn't know here.

Overall this book is a must have if you're an iOS developer. There is something, some gotcha, hint, tip, or some explanation that is missing in the other books of this genre.

This alone can save you valuable time and makes this book worth having on your bookshelf.

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