57% of people admit that they are addicted to their smartphones, but have you ever imagined why???
Whether it's shopping, booking tickets, watching movies, playing games, or tracking fitness, everything is possible with smartphones— “correcting mobile apps.”
Today, almost every person spends 88% of their mobile phone screen time on apps. In other words, a smartphone is no “smart” without any app!
Now, let's talk about business! The global mobile application market has been valued at over 206.85 billion. You can draw a good amount of revenue from this market. But the argument here is which one is beneficial for you, iOS or Android? Is it worth spending on iOS App development?
Well, if you ask my suggestion, I would say that you should go for iOS without looking back. Why? Let me explain it to you!
10 Reasons Why IOS App Development Is Profitable
- iOS has a significant market share in the USA, and its development complexity is lower than Android.
- It is often cheaper due to lower complexity and easier adaptability.
- They have fewer variations in iOS devices with only 4-5 screen sizes. It makes optimization and designing simpler.
- The App Store offers immediate revenue, better app security, and a strict review process.
- iOS leads in releasing paid apps, contributing to a higher return on investment. The average cost of iOS apps is $0.80.
- iOS app development is more manageable with controllers, resulting in faster development and fewer errors.
- High-quality iOS emulators simplify the development process and enhance user experiences.
- There is high brand loyalty among iPhone users contributes to a stable and dedicated user base (over 1 billion iOS users).
- iOS apps are easy to maintain due to consistent user updates to the latest OS versions.
- They have easy & fast in-app purchase processes directly linked to their user account or card.
Now, if you're looking for a step-by-step guide to developing an iOS app, I have a great guide for you.
Top Programming Languages You Should Use For iOS App Development
One of the most challenging tasks in IOS app development is using the right programming language. iOS development is quite different than other coding processes. Here, we have to be a little specific and use certain languages that are made for iOS and Apple devices such as iPhones, iPads, watches, and Apple TVs.
The top 5 iOS app programming languages are:
1. Swift: Best For iOS-specific Apps
Swift is the most powerful programming language developed by Apple for iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS app development. It was introduced by the tech giant in 2014 as a replacement for Objective-C.
Examples: Instagram, LinkedIn, Slack
Pros:
- It is an in-house iOS language that defines its accuracy and security
- Strong emphasis on type safety
- Auto-memory counting
- Incorporates modern programming language features with daily updates.
- Cleaner and more expressive
- Highly scalable
Cons:
- Skilled Swift developers are hard to find
- interoperability with third-party tools and IDEs
- Less cross-platform support
2. C#: Best In C Family
C# (pronounced C-sharp) is a versatile, object-oriented programming language (OOP) developed by Microsoft. It is known for its compatibility with C-family and cross-platform. It is widely used in developing apps for Windows, the web, and games using the Unity game engine.
Examples: Microsoft Office Suite, Unity Games, Visual Studio IDE
Pros:
- Promotes code organization, reusability, and scalability, resulting in modular and maintainable code.
- It has High-level syntax and memory access capabilities
- Good cross-platform capabilities
- Easy learning for the developers of C-family
- Inbuilt garbage collector
- Type-safe language with static or dynamic typing capabilities
- Large community support and help tutorials
Cons:
- Not so good in performance
- Heavily relies on the .NET platform
- Hard learning curve
3. Objective-C: The Old Player
Objective-C is Apple's legacy, as it was the primary developing language for iOS and macOS apps before the introduction of Swift. Still, it is one of the best languages to consider in the iOS context.
Examples: WhatsApp (initial iOS version), Tumblr (initial iOS version), and Evernote (initial iOS version).
Pros:
- A wealth of libraries and resources.
- Compatible with C family, offering easy integration with C and C++ code.
- Legacy codebase for many existing iOS and macOS applications
Cons:
- It has more complex syntax and is less readable.
- Less safe due to its dynamic nature and use of pointers.
4. Java: The All Rounder
Java is a widely used, platform-independent, object-oriented programming language. It is known for its “Write Once, Run Anywhere” philosophy, allowing code to run on any device with a Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
Examples: Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Twitter
Pros:
- Simple, cheap, and easy to learn and build
- object-oriented programming language
- High platform independence with a JVM
- Large library and knowledge
- In-built garbage collection
- Supports Multithreading
Cons:
- less performant compared to languages like C or C++
- Poor GUI
- More verbose and complex
5. Flutter: Highly Advance Choice
Flutter is an open-source UI software development toolkit by Google. The best part of Flutter is it runs over a single codebase, which makes it a better choice for building natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop.
Examples: Alibaba, Google Ads, Reflectly
Pros:
- Single Codebase for multiple platforms
- Hot Reload allows instant results of code changes
- Rich UI with customizable widgets
- Fewer development times
- Own unique widgets or rendering engines for both iOS and Android.
- Based on Dart with AOT and JIT compiler
- Own app builder
- Native-app like features
Cons:
- Often creates large and weighty apps
- Less compatibility for browsers and web apps
- Doesn't have enough knowledgebase or community support
Objective-C Vs. Swift: Which One Is Better
From the perspective of many iOS developers, there is a strong debate between Objective-C and Swift. So, before we continue this discussion further, let's take a good look at this brief comparison:
Feature |
Objective-C |
Swift |
Introduction |
Developed in the 1980s, a superset of C |
Introduced by Apple in 2014 as a modern language |
Syntax |
C-based syntax, influenced by Smalltalk (mostly includes @, parentheses, semicolons, or lines) |
More concise and readable syntax (resembles English) |
Memory Management |
Manual Reference Counting (MRC) |
Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) |
Error Handling |
Traditional error-handling using NSError |
A modern approach with a try, catch, and throw |
Interoperability |
Easily integrates with C and C++ |
Seamless interoperability with Objective-C |
Safety |
Limited safety features |
Strongly-typed language with emphasis on safety |
Open Source |
Closed source |
Open-source language |
Readability |
Requires more code for the same functionality |
Cleaner and more readable code |
Performance |
Generally slower than Swift |
Optimized for performance |
Community Support |
Mature and extensive community support |
Growing community support |
Platform Support |
Supports macOS, iOS, and other Apple platforms |
Primarily designed for Apple platforms |
Adoption Rate |
Widespread usage in existing projects |
Swift is becoming the preferred choice for new projects |
Learning Curve |
The steeper learning curve for beginners |
Easier for beginners to learn and adopt |
With the above comparison, Swift is the winner over the criteria of performance, syntax, memory management, dynamic library support, complexity, maintenance, and safety.
Bottom Line: Why Swift is a popular choice for modern iOS development
In the end, Swift is the best programming language for modern iOS development. The simple reason for saying that Swift is not only authentic but also offers several benefits and features:
- It is continuously evolving as the tech giant Apple is working on it for regular updates.
- Its SwiftUI simplifies complex UI design.
- Its clean, concise, and expressive syntax makes development faster than ever.
- Its modern features, like type inference and automatic memory management (ARC), lead to less boilerplate code.
- Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) manages allocation and deallocation.
- Being open source, it builds a global community of developers.
I hope you loved reading here. Have a nice day!