How iOS App Development is Going To Be Different in 2014

With the iOS7 update, Apple has taken a step in a new direction. The Apple post Steve Jobs is learning to adapt and the massively successful launch of the iOS7 is proof that the popularity of the Apple devices is not going down any time soon. iOS app development will be redefined with the new policy changes that the Cupertino giant has enacted, and through the year 2014 we will be seeing a different and more unified development model, propagated by Xcode.

Apple has always been very strict about its app policies. It regulates the apps very strictly that are submitted to its app store. With over 700,000 apps in iTunes, Apple led the race for the most applications for a mobile store until this year when Google’s Android operating system finally surpassed it with over a million applications in the Play Store. An uncompromising stand on quality has always been the hallmark of Apple and its former CEO Steve Jobs, and even today the number of apps that Apple rejects entry into iTunes continues to rise. The iPhone is famous not because it offers the best hardware, but rather because it offers the best overall package. Everything about iPhone screams uniformity and completeness, and with the iOS7 update, Apple has once again set a new bar that other mobile operating systems must clear.

A new design and a new law
With iOS7, Apple has changed their trademark human interface for the iPhone and a completely new design for their interface has emerged. The update was launched in September and for three months Apple waited for the developers to incorporate the new design into their applications through updates. Finally, an ultimatum has been issued by the companies to the developers requiring them to comply with the new design policies from their next update, or they will not be accepted.

Xcode – Enemy or ally of iOS app developers?
Xcode is the official software development kit that Apple has created to help developers create apps for the iPhone and iPad. Any app that is created using Xcode and adheres to its guidelines will automatically follow the new iOS 7 design guidelines. While this may look like a tool that is designed to make the developers’ job easier, this effectively nullifies all the efforts that the development community has made so far to create more intuitive development tools. Software development tools like PhoneGap, which allow developers to create an app just once and then deploy it on multiple mobile OS platforms will have to be redesigned to accommodate the new design changes, and even then there is no surety that apps created using these third party tools will be allowed by Apple.

The face of iOS app development in 2014
Apple has issued its ultimatum, and it is now time for the developers to comply or risk having their apps thrown out of the app store. One thing that we can be sure of in the year 2014 is that there will be a complete integration of design in the user experience of anyone who is using the iOS7. The same unrelenting attitude that Apple is renowned for will continue in 2014 and iOS app development will progressively get better and more aligned. Tools like Xcode will be adopted by developers everywhere, and the uniformity in design will serve to improve the user experience of anyone who purchases an iPhone. With continued improvement in the human interface factor of the iOS, the popularity of iPhones and iPads is only going to increase even further.