INTRODUCTIONS TO IOS

It is a mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. for its hardware, for example, iPhone and iPad. It is an operating system that supports the iPhone and iPod Touch; it also provided support for the iPad before introducing iPadOS in 2019. It is the second most popular mobile operating system globally after Android.

Features of iOS

The iOS provides the following features.
  • Multitasking
In June 2010, iOS started supporting multitasking in certain devices like iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPod Touch 3rd Generation with iOS 4. However, in iOS 4, multitasking was supported through the following seven Background APIs.
  1. Background audio: application keeps running in the background until it finishes the active audio or video.
  2. Voice over IP: The application is suspended when the phone call is not in progress.
  3. Background location: notification services when the location of the device changes.
  4. Push Notifications: app receives the push notifications from the server, whether it is in background or foreground mode.
  5. Local Notifications: Local notifications can be scheduled in the app at a definite time.
  6. Task Completion: App can ask the system for extra time to complete a given task.
  7. Fast App Switching
  • Interface
Apple iOS provides a user-friendly interface that uses multi-touch gestures like swipe, tap, pinch, etc., to facilitate the users interacting with the applications. The users can trigger any event using switches, buttons and sliders. It uses internal accelerometers to respond to shaking the device or rotating in 3D. The interface home screen is the primary navigation and information hub that contains app icons and widgets to launch the particular applications directly from the home screen. The main page button is located at the top right of the application’s screen. The back button is present in the top left of the app’s screen. However, to go back, we can use the following ways.
  1. Back button at the top left of the display
  2. Using swipe-right gesture from the left edge of the app’s screen.
  3. Press finish action at the top right of the screen.
  4. Scroll down on the screen.
  • In-App purchase
The iOS users can purchase various content like subscriptions, services and new features within the application. Users can make in-app purchases on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS.
  • Apple Pay
Apple pay can be integrated into iOS applications to provide an easy and secure way to make payments. The authorization for the apple pay can be done using FaceID and TouchID.
  • Home Screen
The home screen in the iOS device contains the widget and app icons to launch the applications. It displays the dock at the bottom where we can pin the most frequently used applications. Whenever we press the home button or unlock the device, the home screen appears. The home screen contains the status bar on the top to display the data.
  • Notification Center
The notifications could not be viewed after being dismissed before the release of iOS 5. Apple introduced the Notification Center, where we can see the history of notifications. However, the user can click on a particular notification to open its associated application or clear it from the notification center.
  • Game Center
With iOS 4.1, Apple announces a social gaming network where the users can play games with friends. It provides features like a Game center dashboard, leaderboard, achievements,         multiplayer and many more.
  • Bluetooth
Apple provides the Core Bluetooth framework that provides the classes needed to connect with the Bluetooth-equipped low energy wireless technology.
  • Orientations
The iOS applications can be used in portrait and landscape orientations. However, Apple provides size classes in XCode to develop the interface for landscape and portrait orientations.
  • Camera integration
Apple provides AVFoundation Capture Subsystem, a common high-level architecture for audio, images, and video capturing services in iOS.
  • Location services
With the user’s permission, the Location Services allow the applications and website to access the user’s device location. The black or white arrow icon is shown in the status bar whenever the location services are active.
  • Maps
Apple provides a web mapping service to be used as the default map system for iOS. It includes various features like flyover mode. To develop applications that use maps, we can use MapKit provided by Apple.

iPhone History and Versions

iPhone IOS version Release Date Launch Price
iPhone iPhone OS 1.0 June 29, 2007 $499/$599
iPhone 3G iPhone OS 2.0 June 11, 2008 $199/$299 $499
iPhone 3GS iPhone OS 3.0 June 19, 2009 $199/$299 $599/$699
IPhone 4 iPhone OS 4.0 June 21, 2010 $199/$299 $649/$749
iPhone 4S iPhone OS 5.0 October 14, 2011 $199/$299/$399 $649/$749/$849
iPhone 5 iPhone OS 6.0 September 21, 2012 $199/$299/$399 $649/$749/$849
iPhone 5C iPhone OS 7.0 September 20, 2013 $99/$199 $549/$649
iPhone 5S iPhone OS 7.0 September 20, 2013 $199/$299/$399 $649/$749/$849
IPhone 6/6 plus iPhone OS 8.0 September 19, 2014 $199/$299/$399 $649/$749/$849 Plus: $299/$399/$499 Plus: $749/$849/$949
IPhone 6s/6s plus iPhone OS 9.0.1 September 25, 2015 $199/$299/$399 $649/$749/$849 Plus: $299/$399/$499 Plus: $749/$849/$949
IPhone SE iPhone OS 9.3 March 31, 2016 $399/$499
IPhone 7/ 7 Plus iPhone OS 10.0 September 16, 2016 $199/$299/$399 $649/$749/$849 Plus: $319/$419/$519 Plus: $769/$869/$969
IPhone 8/ 8 Plus iPhone OS 11.0 September 22, 2017 $699/$849 Plus: $799/$949
IPhone X iPhone OS 11.1 November 3, 20017 $549/$699 $999/$1149
IPhone XS/ XS Max iPhone OS 12.0 September 21, 2018 $999/$1149/$1349 Max: $1099/$1249/$1449
iPhone XR iPhone OS 12.0 October 26, 2018 $749/$799/$899
iPhone 11 iPhone OS 13.0 September 20, 2019 $699/$749/$849
IPhone 11 pro/ iPhone 11 max IPhone OS 13.0 September 20, 2019 $999/$1149/$1349 Max: $1099/$1249/$1449

Apple iOS Architecture

iOS is the operating system created by Apple Inc. for mobile devices. It is used in many Apple mobile devices, such as iPhones, iPods, iPads, etc. iOS is used a lot and only lags behind Android in terms of popularity. The iOS architecture is layered. It contains an intermediate layer between the applications and the hardware so they do not communicate directly. The lower layers in iOS provide the basic services and the higher layers give the user interface and sophisticated graphics. The layered architecture of iOS is given as follows −

Cocoa Touch

The cocoa touch layer provides the following frameworks −

EventKit Framework

This shows the standard system interfaces using view controllers for viewing and changing calendar related events.

GameKit Framework

This provides support for users to share their game related data online using Game center.

MapKit Framework

This provides a scrollable map which can be included into the app user interface.

Media

The media layer enables all the graphics, audio and video technology of the system. The different frameworks are:

UIKit Graphics

This provides support for designing images and animating the view content.

Core Graphics Framework

This provides support for 2-D vector and image-based rendering and is the native drawing engine for iOS apps.

Core Animation

The Core Animation technology optimizes the animation experience of the apps.

Media Player Framework

This framework provides support for playing playlists and enables the user to use their iTunes library.

AV Kit

This provides various easy to use interfaces for video presentation.

Core Services

There are many frameworks available in the cure services layer. Details about some of these are given as follows −

Cloudkit Framework

The data can be moved between the app the iCloud using the Cloudkit Framework.

Core Foundation Framework

This provides the data management and service features for the iOS apps.

Core Data Framework

The data model of the model view controller app is handled using the Core Data Framework.

Address Book Framework

The address book framework provides access to the contacts database of the user.

Core Motion Framework

All the motion based data on the device is accessed using core motion framework.

Healthkit Framework

The health related information of the user can be handled by this new framework.

Core Location Framework

This framework provides the location and heading information to the various apps.

Core OS

All the iOS technologies are built on the low-level features provided by the Core OS layer. These technologies include Core Bluetooth Framework, External Accessory Framework, Accelerate Framework, Security Services Framework, Local Authorization Framework, etc.

Key iOS Development Tool Kits

1.Xcode

Xcode is the cornerstone of iOS development. Developed by Apple, Xcode is an integrated development environment (IDE) that combines a code editor, a graphical interface, and all the necessary tools to build apps for iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Xcode supports both Swift and Objective-C programming languages and offers extensive debugging and testing capabilities.

Key features:

  • Interface Builder: Design your app’s UI visually.
  • Simulator: Test apps on virtual iOS devices.
  • Swift Playgrounds: Experiment with Swift code in a sandbox environment.
  • Documentation: Built-in guides and documentation to assist developers.

2.Swift Playgrounds

Swift Playgrounds is an innovative app for learning Swift programming and experimenting with code. While it’s excellent for beginners, experienced developers can also use it for prototyping and testing out snippets of code.

Features:

  • Real-time feedback on Swift code.
  • Fun, interactive way to learn coding.
  • Ideal for prototyping simple features or algorithms.

3.Cocoa Touch

Cocoa Touch is a framework provided by Apple for developing iOS apps. It offers many essential classes for handling the app’s UI, interactions, and behaviors, such as touch gestures, notifications, and multimedia handling.

4.Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) for iOS

While Xcode is the primary IDE for iOS development, several other IDEs are available for developers, though they are less commonly used. These IDEs offer various features, such as debugging tools, UI builders, and code auto-completion to assist with development.

Comparing Xcode with other IDEs like AppCode by JetBrains or Visual Studio Code, the level of integration and support for iOS-specific frameworks in Xcode remains unparalleled.

FAQs

What is the best tool for iOS development?
Xcode is the most comprehensive tool for iOS development, providing everything you need from coding to testing and deployment.

Can I develop iOS apps without a Mac?
No, developing iOS apps typically requires a Mac since Xcode is only available for macOS.

Is Swift Playgrounds suitable for beginners?
Yes, Swift Playgrounds is an excellent tool for beginners to learn Swift and get familiar with the basics of iOS app development.

How can I automate my iOS app testing?
You can use tools like XCTest for unit and UI testing, and Appium for cross-platform automation.

What’s the difference between UIKit and SwiftUI?
UIKit is the traditional way of building iOS UIs using imperative code, while SwiftUI allows for declarative UI design with less code.

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