Book Image

Learning Xcode 8

By : Jak Tiano
Book Image

Learning Xcode 8

By: Jak Tiano

Overview of this book

Over the last few years, we’ve seen a breakthrough in mobile computing and the birth of world-changing mobile apps. With a reputation as one of the most user-centric and developer-friendly platforms, iOS is the best place to launch your next great app idea. As the official tool to create iOS applications, Xcode is chock full of features aimed at making a developer’s job easier, faster, and more fun. This book will take you from complete novice to a published app developer, and covers every step in between. You’ll learn the basics of iOS application development by taking a guided tour through the Xcode software and Swift programming language, before putting that knowledge to use by building your first app called “Snippets.” Over the course of the book, you will continue to explore the many facets of iOS development in Xcode by adding new features to your app, integrating gestures and sensors, and even creating an Apple Watch companion app. You’ll also learn how to use the debugging tools, write unit tests, and optimize and distribute your app. By the time you make it to the end of this book, you will have successfully built and published your first iOS application.
Table of Contents (23 chapters)
Learning Xcode 8
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewer
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Designing for the Apple Watch


While it may seem obvious from looks alone, it can be very easy to misunderstand the way that an Apple Watch differs from an iOS device like an iPhone. Many make the mistake of only focusing on how to shrink the user interface of their app into a smaller form factor, instead of really understanding how the Apple Watch is actually used.

Before we can move on to the more technical aspects of creating an Apple Watch companion app, it's important to look at these differences in use and expectations.

Using the watch

The most obvious difference between an Apple Watch and an iPhone, and I've already touched on this a few times, is the size. There is no way around it. The amount of screen real estate severely limits how much information can be presented, and how many inputs can be accepted.

A lot of developers also seem to underestimate how important it is that the watch is worn; it's not a device that comes out of a pocket when needed. There's a level of intimacy not present...