creating your own apps?

[drewuk]

Hi, my name is Drew and I'm new to the forum but I have had my amazing ipad now for a couple of months, and I just love it!
I have been told that it's possible to create your own apps and on looking around the web I found this site Creating iPad Apps has anyone else tried this and if so, is it any good?
cheers

 

[MarkK]

You don't need all this.
For me it looks like some kind of very colorful snake-oil.

If you check out the iOS-section at developer.apple.com, you can download the SDK (after having registered as a developer, the basic part of which is free).
There, you'll also find tutorials, a developer-form, lots of literature (pdf), etc.
IMHO, that's all you need to become an iOS-developer.

 

[Sonicrobby]

You don't need all this.
For me it looks like some kind of very colorful snake-oil.

If you check out the iOS-section at developer.apple.com, you can download the SDK (after having registered as a developer, the basic part of which is free).
There, you'll also find tutorials, a developer-form, lots of literature (pdf), etc.
IMHO, that's all you need to become an iOS-developer.

Doesn't that cost $100?

 

[Silver217]

I downloaded it for free. It's more than 3 gigabytes and only runs on a MAC.
But I have no MAC and I don't know if apps developing can be done on
A windows7 computer and an iPad only.

 

[graywolf]

I downloaded it for free. It's more than 3 gigabytes and only runs on a MAC.
But I have no MAC and I don't know if apps developing can be done on
A windows7 computer and an iPad only.

I wish. I am in the same boat. Can't afford a Mac and have windows 7 and iPad.

 

[n9yty]

You cannot run your app on an iOS device without paying the $99/year. Personally, I think this sucks that you can't even write a program for your own use on your own iOS device.

However, you still have the option to write "old school" apps using HTML5/CSS/JavaScript, or at least I think you do, just not sure about deploying them to the device rather than via a web server.

 

[earlyadopter]

drewuk

I know what you mean. I got my iPads back in April, fell in love and wanted to create an app. Launched my app on September 4th. I had a PC but now I have a Mac Mini and I did have to become an Apple developer ($99). I partnered with a guy who programs iPhone apps. I have sold 15 of my apps so far. I know that doesn't sound like a lot but they go for $999.99 each. Check it out on the App Store. The Alchemist SMS, a linear optimization app for steel mills to design scrap charges.

 

[estudioG design]

I'm thinking of working on iOS development, problem is I don't know squat about writing software. But I need to find other means of making a living. My professional shamefully is a dying breed

 

[Andy Baird]

Let's start with the easy way: If you have basic HTML, CSS and JavaScript skills--what any web designer needs to know, in other words--you can build "web apps" and put them on any webserver. For simple reference-type apps, you can even dispense with the JavaScript. I've built several web apps this way.

Pros: minimal coding skills needed, and you don't have to go through the App Store submission process. Cons: since they're just specialized websites, you can't easily make money from them, unless you run ads. And of course they don't appear in the App Store.

If you want to sell (or even give away) apps in the App Store, you'll need Apple's iOS Software Development Kit, and you'll have to deal with a bunch of Apple red tape. It's in a good cause--keeps out malware purveyors and scam artists--but it's a nuisance.

And the SDK assumes you know Objective-C. It's not a language for beginners. (Anybody remember HyperTalk?) But there's a way around that: NimbleKit. (I'd include a link, but as a new user I'm not allowed to. Do a Google search.)

NimbleKit lets you build apps using only HTML, CSS and JavaScript--no Objective C required!--compile them with the SDK, and get them into the App Store. You still have to deal with Apple's red tape, but at least the programming part is reduced to a level that any competent web designer can handle. I've built a couple of apps for personal use this way, though I don't have anything in the App Store I can show off. But the NimbleKit home page lists a number of published apps that have been built this way.

Yes, you can hire somebody to do your coding for you. It requires a substantial investment up front, and somebody else's name will appear on your product on the App Store. I haven't tried this route, so I can't tell you more than that. I'll caution you to read the intellectual property rights part of your contract very carefully, and make sure you understand who owns what. Otherwise you could be in for a nasty surprise if it turns out that the programmer you hired legally owns your product.

 

[Sonicrobby]

Wow Andy! Thats very descriptive! Thanks! Well I'm looking to make apps for personal use only. So this nimble kit is what I can use to write the apps, but can it also compile them? Or do I have to get the sdk for that?

 

[Andy Baird]

Personal apps and NimbleKit

"So this nimble kit is what I can use to write the apps, but can it also compile them? Or do I have to get the sdk for that?"

If you want to put a native app on an iOS device (iPhone/iPod/iPad), Apple requires you to use the SDK and pay a $99 a year developer fee. NimbleKit is a $99 SDK add-on that makes it possible for you to develop apps in HTML/CSS/JavaScript rather than in C, but it requires the SDK to compile them.

"I'm looking to make apps for personal use only."

Unfortunately, even if you just want to put a single app on your own iPad, Apple makes you jump through the same hoops as if you wanted to sell a thousand copies in the App Store.

The alternative, as I mentioned earlier, is web apps. You don't need anybody's permission to deploy one, and you can even create a home page icon (when bookmarking in Safari) so that your web app looks and acts pretty much like a native one. The drawback is that you need an internet connection to access the app.

You can work around that by using a third-party "reader" program such as GoodReader or Zen Reader that has the ability to display HTML/CSS/JavaScript files and has a "private space" into which files can be loaded. For single files, you can do this with iTunes; if you need to move a whole folder into a reader program's private space, the $9.99 third-party utility DiskAid will let you do it.

Once the file or files are loaded on your iPad, you can use the reader program to access them. I recently did this with a 45 MB reference program called "Eureka," which is essentially a large website comprising hundreds of files. Having installed it with DiskAid, I can open and use it anytime in Zen Reader, even without an internet connection.

I'm sure there are other workarounds; these are just the ones I've tried.

 

[GSGeek]

Hello!

A quick update for iPad dev wannabe: the latest Xcode version (4) is no longer free: you can buy it on the Mac App store (for a small fee), or get it at no charge with your dev licence (100$). Shame on Apple for that, and there is little point buying Xcode without the licence 'cause you can't test/run your app on your favorite iDevice.

Yeah, learning Obj-C and the Cocoa API is quite challenging. But, if you have past experience in either C, C++, Java or even C# programming then you've got a head start. it it's not that painful.

If you've got nothing at all (not even an iMac), try the GNUStep development, which closely resemble Cocoa/XCode. It runs on (ugh Windows and (better) Linux and is free. Many concepts are the same: memory management, base classes (NSObject, NSString, etc.) and so are many other idioms and design patterns. Try it before diving into iDevelopment

Have fun!

 

[Ncaissie]

I know what you mean. I got my iPads back in April, fell in love and wanted to create an app. Launched my app on September 4th. I had a PC but now I have a Mac Mini and I did have to become an Apple developer ($99). I partnered with a guy who programs iPhone apps. I have sold 15 of my apps so far. I know that doesn't sound like a lot but they go for $999.99 each. Check it out on the App Store. The Alchemist SMS, a linear optimization app for steel mills to design scrap charges.

What the ! kind of app sells for a thousand bucks? April fools?

 

[Nogotov]

Programming for iOs is fun, it has a steep learning curve, but if you get to grips with it, it really makes sense and Apple has a wonderful suite off development apps (called Xcode).

 

[Tim SPRACKLEN]

Programming for iOs is fun, it has a steep learning curve, but if you get to grips with it, it really makes sense and Apple has a wonderful suite off development apps (called Xcode).

If you feel like learning how to develop your own apps you can do so for free. Go to iTunes on your iPad, click on 'iTunesU' at the bottom right hand side, select 'Universities and Colleges', then scroll to Stanford. Scroll right through the courses and you'll find a two-part, 25 lectures per part, course on programming iPad apps. It's free and, by the end of the course, you'll be able to program some simple apps yourself. It's a great resource from one of the best Universities in the world.

Tim