iPhone Application Development For Dummies (For Dummies (Lifestyles Paperback)) [Paperback]

The book does a reasonable job teaching experienced software developers how to create their first iphone application. The sample app in the book exercises many of the different user interface items we see in iphone apps. The code is written in Objective-C, which took a while to understand even with 20 years of C++ experience. My son, who has no software development experience, became too frustrated with understanding the code examples to finish reading the book. Calling this a "for Dummies" book is a stretch.

The book is fairly easy to read although the author can ramble at times. He does a good job explaining what the code is doing, although as I said it took a while to get used to the very different syntax of Obj-C. There are a large number of typographic errors in the text. Surprisingly though, the code itself only had a single typo in the entire book.

I'd like to see a future version of the book add a chapter about using a web service to perform some operations or query some information. The sample app shows you how to add web views to your app and quite a bit about working with maps. Those are both great to have in the book.

The shipper did a good job packaging the book, it arrived undamaged and a day or two before it was scheduled to arrive.

Neal Goldstein was the first person, who could help me build an iPhone app AND make me understand what I was doing, while I was doing it.

For starters, this is a new version of the "FOR DUMMIES" books, as it is presented in glossy pages with numerous color screenshots. And Neal Goldstein makes sure to show you all critical steps and code & interface examples in a number of screenshots, so you can always go back one or two steps and review the screenshots, if you think you missed or misunderstood something.

I had already given up pretty much on being able to learn XCode and iPhone app development. Having gone through a bunch of online tutorials, following the advice in several library books on the iPhone subject, there was always something missing. Either the book or tutorial referred to an earlier version of XCode, a step was missing or the sample code was simply buggy and wouldn't run.

Had I been a more experienced programmer, I could have probably made those books and tutorials work.

Now I have Neal Goldstein, and most of my troubles have gone away. This book is more than, "Hey, follow me, and you'll have a great app at the end."

Yes, you are building an iPhone app while reading this book, but this is where the book differentiates itself from all others I have seen:

- After or before each step you perform, Neal Goldstein explains what happens, or what has just happened.

THIS APPROACH SAVED MY LIFE!

- Actually, things are coming together now, and I know what I'm doing and its purpose. Using a framework or a class? Neal Goldstein explains (in easy-to-understand language) what's involved, what the benefits are of various approaches, how it works and so forth.

I was so excited and took the book to work, so I could show it to a more experienced co-worker, who's built and published about a dozen iPhone apps. When I pointed out the approach of this book, and that it teaches you a solid foundation to do basic iPhone application development, he actually came back after lunch break and told me he had ordered the book online.

As far as I can tell, the only CON in this book is the hastily approved manuscript. There are NO technical issues, but the grammar and sentences do trip you up quite a bit. For example, the author might state "...then you can connect a the button." Things like that, probably on every other page.

Still, if you're new to XCODE, Objective-C and iPhone programming - and if you have some basic JavaScript, ActionScript or similar experience - then this book will take you to the next level. Guaranteed.

Although I am familiar with the "for Dummies" series (who isn't - their numbers are legion) I had not actually sat down and read one cover to cover until I sat down with Neal Goldstein's book

PROS
- Goldstein does a very good job in breaking Apple app development into "grokable" chunks

- He keeps the text as agnostic as possible to keep the instructions relevant even as web pages change software gets updated, etc.

CONS
- This IS development after all. Goldstein does include a gentle incline and a handrail for the pool of iOS development, but if you're the kind of person who has difficulty with programming logic or gets sweaty palms looking at chunks of courier-font text encased in brackets, then you will find this book tough-going

OBSERVATIONS
- The book would make a great series of "how-to" videos on YouTube

- A useful book for anyone in the smartphone/mobile industry to read, not just developers