To build the applications in this book, you must have Xcode 8.1, which requires a Mac running macOS El Capitan version 10.11.4 or later. Xcode, Apple’s Integrated Development Environment, is available on the App Store. Xcode includes the iOS SDK, the iOS simulator, and other development tools.
You should join the Apple Developer Program, which costs $99/year, because:
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Downloading the latest developer tools is free for members.
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You cannot put an app in the store until you are a member.
If you are going to take the time to work through this entire book, membership in the Apple Developer Program is worth the cost. Go to developer.apple.com/programs/ios/ to join.
What about iOS devices? Most of the applications you will develop in the first half of the book are for iPhone, but you will be able to run them on an iPad. On the iPad screen, iPhone applications appear in an iPhone-sized window. Not a compelling use of iPad, but that is OK when you are starting with iOS. In the early chapters, you will be focused on learning the fundamentals of the iOS SDK, and these are the same across iOS devices. Later in the book, you will see how to make applications run natively on both iOS device families.
Excited yet? Good. Let’s get started.