iBlueSky and iPhone Development
I recently wrote about the shortage of iPhone developers and the possible migration of developers to the iPhone. I have been communicating with Andrew Ebling for a while now. He was once a Java ME developer in a full time role and gave this up to be an independent iPhone developer. Andrew’s first application iBlueSky, a mindmapping application, is now available on the iPhone Application Store.
Since it tied in well with my previous post, I thought I’d ask Andrew a few questions on why he made the switch and his impressions of Java ME and iPhone development. Here’s a interview style Q&A…
Q) What initially motivated you to go from a full time J2ME post to being independent iPhone developer?
A) I wanted to develop for the iPhone right from the day the it was first announced - the hardware was simply on a whole new level and the new opportunities, seen from an application developer’s perspective, were nothing short of amazing. Of course it took some time before 3rd party application development was officially endorsed and that was quite a frustration. But ultimately it was the promise of a viable route to market via the iTunes App Store that made the transition particularly attractive.
Q) What’s your view on the future of Java ME?
A) It’s certainly now a ubiquitous technology, but it hasn’t really evolved at the same rate as hardware has - it’s in danger of becoming a legacy technology I think, and may become less significant as platforms like the iPhone and possibly Android start to gain some real traction. On the flip side, writing in Java certainly has it’s advantages from a productivity point of view. Unfortunately the effort involved in addressing device fragmentation counters that productivity boost quite effectively!
Q) How difficult did you find learning iPhone application development?
A) The learning curve was very significant indeed; once you’ve got past the differences in syntax and language between Java and Objective-C, the semi-automatic memory management takes some getting used to. It also takes a long time to learn the APIs available; the CLDC/MIDP API is quite small in comparison, so overall, the API learning curve is quite steep. So in summary, I’d say it was difficult transition which took a certain amount of determination to see through. Now that the NDA is lifted, it will be an easier transition for others to make.
Q) What would you have liked to do on the iPhone but can’t?
A) Gaining full access to the camera (something like the Advanced Multimedia Supplements API in J2ME), having any access to Bluetooth, being able to run in the background and a straight forward means of sharing large amounts of data between applications. Data synchronisation back to desktop applications could be easier too.
Q) Do find it best to debug on the phone or the simulator?
A) As with J2ME, the real device is always your reference point; there are always differences between emulated environments and a real device. The iPhone simulator is excellent, as simulators go, but it still differs from the real hardware in a number of areas. Since on-device debugging is supported and works reliably, there isn’t much of a productivity hit associated with running on the real device most of the time; deployment takes just a couple of seconds longer.
Q) What are your thoughts on the iPhone distribution process?
A) The opportunity granted by the App Store is nothing short of amazing. But the process of getting there is frustrating and doesn’t seem to be doing much to stop a steady flow of questionable applications from making it through. I’ve been incredibly fortunate with application review times so far, but some developers have been left in the dark for months.
Q) What’s your view on the future of iPhone development?
A) If Apple can open up the device just a little more, it really will become the ultimate platform for an independent 3rd party application developer to target. Having said that, the App Store is getting a little crowded now!
If you are a developer thinking of making the switch to iPhone development then you might like to try iBlueSky, Andrew’s mind mapping application, to help you brainstorm ideas for new applications!
Related Articles:
- iPhone Developer Shortage
- iPhone 3G Instability
- iPhone Application Gold Rush
- iPhone OS vs. other mobile platforms
- Apple Roadblock
- iPhone 3G Impressions and Development
- Who Really Manufactures the Phones?
- Apple WDC2008
- M:Metrics iPhone Hype Holds Up
- iPhone Long Running Applications
- iPhone SDK - Initial Impressions
