Rockable Press is proud to present our latest release: Decoding the iOS 6 SDK. Written by five seasoned iOS experts and packed with almost 500 pages of essential iOS 6 development fundamentals, this great new eBook will quickly get you up to speed with the iOS 6 SDK and all the fundamental changes that occurred to Xcode and the iOS device landscape in 2012. Get your copy now!

Who This Book is For

Decoding the iOS 6 SDK is written for intermediate iOS developers who want to quickly get up to speed with the iOS 6 SDK and all the fundamental changes that occurred to Xcode and the iOS device landscape in 2012.

Beginning iOS developers who understand the fundamentals of the SDK and Xcode will also benefit from reading this work.

The book follows a non-linear format that allows the reader to decide how much time to spend on any given topic. This is accomplished by dividing each chapter into a “Theoretical Overview” section and a “Tutorial Project” section.

While it’s certainly possible to read the entire book from cover-to-cover (we think you’ll enjoy doing so!), it’s also possible to simply read the “Theoretical Overview” of each chapter to get a high-level understanding of the iOS 6 SDK changes, and then go back and focus in on the most relevant or interesting tutorial projects on a more selective basis.

Regardless of how you approach the book, expect to learn about the most essential aspects of developing with the iOS 6 SDK, Xcode, and all the iOS devices released from Cupertino in 2012.

Hear From an Author...

Hello, I'm Mark Hammonds, and I'm one of the authors of Decoding the iOS 6 SDK.

As I’m sure you know, many exciting new enhancements and changes were introduced with the release of iOS 6. These changes are all the more relevant as over 60% of iOS devices upgraded to iOS 6 within just the first month of release.

In addition to a new major iOS release, developers also saw the introduction of three new iOS devices, two of which, the iPhone 5 and the iPad mini, had completely new form-factors. The iOS development workflow received many new changes as well.

Xcode received 9 new releases in 2012, and the LLVM Compiler received updates that will fundamentally alter the way many of us write Objective-C code. For those who already work full-time in the industry, keeping pace with these changes can feel like a second job!

The purpose of this book is to provide one convenient resource for sharpening your iOS skills and keeping pace with all the latest advances from Cupertino.

The content is organized in such a fashion that you can quickly jump to the sections that matter the most to you, and that means you can spend less time simply reading about the iOS 6 SDK and more time actually building the next great iOS 6 app!

What the Book Covers

CHAPTER 1: IOS 6 SDK ESSENTIALS by Mark Hammonds

Start off by learning about all the most important changes to the iOS ecosystem and the iOS 6 SDK. The tutorial project from this chapter covers enhancements to Xcode, the LLVM Compiler, autorotation changes in iOS 6, writing backwards compatible code, and deploying to the iPhone 5, the iPad 3, and the iPad mini.

CHAPTER 2: UITABLEVIEW CHANGES & ENHANCEMENTS by Aron Bury

Table views are one of the most widely used components in iOS development. iOS 6 introduces several important changes to table views, including a paradigm shift for generating table view cells, the ability to provide header and footer content, and a new “pull-to-refresh” control from Apple.

CHAPTER 3: DATA ISOLATION CONTROLS by Mark Hammonds

iOS 6 introduces several important privacy enhancements that provide more control over the level of access apps are granted to user data. This chapter demonstrates how to interact with the address book, calendars, reminders, location data, and user media using the new API calls.

CHAPTER 4: APPLE MAPS AND MAP KIT by Aaron Crabtree

In combination with the release of Apple Maps, Map Kit also received a significant number of API improvements and changes. This chapter will get you up-to-speed while teaching you how to build a simple app for tracking cycling routes.

CHAPTER 5: REMINDERS AND EVENT KIT by Aaron Crabtree

Event Kit will now allow developers to access user Reminders and set proximity or time- based alarms. Learn how to take advantage of these features and build a Dinner Reservations app.

CHAPTER 6: UIKIT THEMING CONTROLS by Aron Bury

Customizing an app’s interface is a great way to stand out in the App Store. This chapter will demonstrate the many new theming capabilities provided by UIKit in iOS 6!

CHAPTER 7: AUTO LAYOUT FUNDAMENTALS by Akiel Khan

Developing applications that will look great across the 3.5” iPhone, the 4” iPhone, the iPad, and the iPad mini can be a challenge. Fortunately, Apple’s new Auto Layout system makes this much easier to accomplish, and this chapter will introduce you to the fundamentals.

CHAPTER 8: ADVANCED AUTO LAYOUT TECHNIQUES by Akiel Khan

Picking up where chapter 7 left off, this chapter will dive into more advanced Auto Layout concepts, including the the new Visual Format Language (VFL) for managing layout constraints.

CHAPTER 9: COLLECTION VIEW FUNDAMENTALS by Bart Jacobs

With the rise of the iPad, many iOS developers have begun using advanced, grid-based layouts in their applications. The UICollectionView class makes doing so easier and more robust than ever, and collection views are sure to become a favorite tool among iOS developers.

CHAPTER 10: ADVANCED COLLECTION VIEW TECHNIQUES by Bart Jacobs

This chapter demonstrates the versatility and genius of collection views by showcasing several of the more advanced aspects of their architecture. The tutorial project in this chapter will teach you how to build a music playlist application that pulls content from the local device music library.

CHAPTER 11: SOCIAL FRAMEWORK FUNDAMENTALS by Bart Jacobs

The introduction of the Social Framework makes it easier than ever before to share application content on Twitter, Facebook, or Sina Weibo. This chapter will get you up to speed with the basics and teach you how to build a simple photo sharing app.

CHAPTER 12: ADVANCED SOCIAL FRAMEWORK TECHNIQUES by Bart Jacobs

This chapter expands on the principles introduced in Chapter 11 and demonstrates how to build a basic Twitter client using a combination of the Accounts Framework and the Social Framework.

CHAPTER 13: STATE PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION by Akiel Khan

This chapter will show you how to get the most out of the new state preservation and restoration capabilities of the SDK, making it easier than ever to convey a sense of continuity and efficiency within your apps!

CHAPTER 14: PASS KIT FUNDAMENTALS by Aaron Crabtree

One of the most promising new additions to iOS 6 is the Passbook application. This chapter will teach you how to build a demo snowboarding ticket that interacts with Passbook and the Pass Kit framework.

Still Undecided?

If you’re undecided, you can download the sample pages of the book to get a feel for the layout and style!

Buy Now!

If you’ve heard enough and would like to pick up your own copy, you can buy Decoding the iOS 6 SDK by visiting the Rockable Press lander page.