The release of the iWatch SDK has given developers a head start in adding WatchKit to their applications, but with the release of the iWatch Simulator, they’ve also given developers a valuable insight into how the iWatch API stack is shaped. The WatchKit framework runs on the iOS device, but to power the simulator Apple has also added many of the device side frameworks. With a little elbow grease, we can learn a lot about the iWatch’s software stack.
Why I’m Buying The Big Phone
This was my first “handheld” device.
It was a NEC MobilePro 200. My neighbor had bought it, but never found a use for it, so I got it in exchange for some web work I did for him. It had Mobile Word and Excel, Solitaire, and a 56k modem in the PC card slot I could use for dialing up and checking email. I couldn’t sync it with my Mac, but aside from that it worked great. I could do spreadsheets and documents in science class comfortably, and when I wanted to be a real nerd, find a phone line someplace to check my email. It was a really big device, but it was a great work companion.
But eventually, like everything else electronic, it died. I don’t remember why. I just remember being sad it wouldn’t boot anymore. So it was time to upgrade. And I upgraded to this…
Why I’m Not Adopting Swift (For Now)
If you follow me on Twitter, I’ve made a lot of noise about how I don’t think developers should be adopting Swift in it’s current state. My problem isn’t with the idea of Swift, or replacing Obj-C. I believe Swift could, in the coming weeks or months become a language suitable for writing production code. But I don’t believe it is such a language today.
Using NIBs for Awesome
One of the basic Objective-C design paradigms is Model-View-Controller.
Views is views typically have two components. There is the logic that drives a view: formatting, management of subviews, and lifecycle management. And there is appearance of the view. This might include the positioning of subviews, the color of the view and subviews, how the view scales, and so on.
Xcode CI Review
Recently I’ve been piloting Xcode’s Continuous Integration server for a project at work. We’ve been using it over the last few months, and so far it’s been going well. I’ve had people both at work and outside of work ask me about it, so I thought I’d write up a review of my experiences so far.
Testing Apple Seeds
Having worked with beta versions of Apple software since the original version of OS X, I thought I’d share a few tips on how best to test new versions of OS X and iOS as a developer. Continue reading
Skeuomorphism
Recently there has been a lot of discussion about skeuomorphism vs. flat user interfaces, but I think the entire discussion is broken. Let’s go back to the beginning: The original Macintosh GUI. An extremely flat UI, but full of skeuomorphism.
Folders look like folders. File deletion is done through a trash item, that not only emulates a trash can but looks like one. Floppy disks that are inserted into the Mac appear as disks on the desktop. The desktop itself is a metaphor based on a real world object. Continue reading
On New Mac Pros
2013, year of “something really great” for Mac Pro users is here. Hopefully, within the next six months, Apple will finally announce what they plan to do with the Mac Pro line. Time to speculate on what Apple could do!
iCloud is Hard
I’ve spent a lot of time over the last few months talking to people about CoreData’s iCloud syncing features. One complaint I hear is that Apple should make the API easier to implement and handle problems automatically for the developer. CoreData’s persistent store iCloud syncing API has it’s faults, but I think developers underestimate how many issues are out of Apple’s control. Continue reading