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Apple Watch App Development
Apple Watch App Development

Apple Watch App Development: Build real-world applications for the Apple Watch platform using the WatchKit framework and Swift 2.0

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Profile Icon Steven F. Daniel
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£16.99 per month
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon Empty star icon 3.5 (2 Ratings)
Paperback Apr 2016 358 pages 1st Edition
eBook
£26.98 £29.99
Paperback
£36.99
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Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Steven F. Daniel
Arrow right icon
£16.99 per month
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon Empty star icon 3.5 (2 Ratings)
Paperback Apr 2016 358 pages 1st Edition
eBook
£26.98 £29.99
Paperback
£36.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at £16.99p/m
eBook
£26.98 £29.99
Paperback
£36.99
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Free Trial
Renews at £16.99p/m

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Apple Watch App Development

Chapter 1. Introducing the Swift Programming Language

At WWDC 2014, Apple introduced a brand new programming language called Swift. The Swift programming language brings concise syntax, type safety, and modern programming language features to Mac and iOS developers.

Since its release, the Apple developer community has responded with great excitement, and developers are rapidly starting to adopt this new language within their own applications. The Swift language is the future of developing on Apple's platforms.

This chapter includes the following topics:

  • Learning how to register as an Apple developer
  • Learning how to download and install Xcode development tools
  • Introduction to the Swift programming language
  • Learning how to work with Xcode playgrounds
  • Introduction to the newest additions in Swift 2.0

Registering as an Apple developer

Before you can begin building iOS applications for your iOS devices, you must first join as a registered user of Apple Developer Program in order to download all of the necessary components to your computer. The registration process is free and provides you with access to the iOS SDK and other developer resources that are really useful to get you started.

The following short list outlines some of the things that you will be able to access once you become a registered member of Apple Developer Program:

  • It provides helpful "Getting Started" guides to help you get up and running quickly
  • It gives you helpful tips that show you how to submit your apps to App Store
  • It provides the ability to download the current releases of iOS software
  • It provides the ability to beta test the releases of iOS and the iOS SDK
  • It provides access to Apple Developer Forums

    Note

    Whether you develop applications for the iPhone or iPad, these use the same OS and iOS SDK that allows you to create universal apps that will work with each of these devices. On the other hand, Apple Watch uses an entirely different OS called watchOS.

To prepare your computer for iOS development, you need to register as an Apple developer. This free process gives you access to the basic levels of development that allow you to test your app using iOS Simulator without the ability to sell your app on the Apple App Store. The steps are as follows:

  1. To sign up to Apple Developer Program, you will need to go to https://developer.apple.com/programs/ and then click on the Enroll button to proceed, as shown in the following screenshot:
    Registering as an Apple developer
  2. Next, click on the Start Your Enrollment button, as shown in the following screenshot:
    Registering as an Apple developer
  3. Once you sign up, you will then be able to download the iOS SDK and proceed with installing it onto your computer.

You will then become an official member of Apple Developer Program. You will then be able to download beta software so that you can test them on your actual device hardware as well as having the freedom to distribute your apps to your end users.

In the next section, we will look at how to download and install Xcode development tools.

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Key benefits

  • Find out how to download and install the Xcode development tools before learning about Xcode playgrounds and the Swift programming language
  • Discover everything you need to know about the WatchKit platform architecture, its classes, as well its limitations
  • This book introduces you to the very latest mobile platform with hands-on instructions so you can build your very own Apple Watch apps

Description

With the increasing amount of new wearable devices hitting the market, wearables are the next wave of mobile technology. With the release of Apple's WatchKit SDK, a whole new world of exciting development possibilities hasopened up. Apple Watch App Development introduces you to the architecture and limitations of the Apple Watch platform, followed by an in-depth look at how to work with Xcode playgrounds. Here, we'll introduce you to the Swift programming language so you can quickly begin developing apps for the Apple Watch platform with the WatchKit framework and the Xcode Development IDE. We then discuss more advanced topics such as Notifiations, Glances, Closures, Tuples, Protocols, Apple pay, and using Swift playgrounds, with each concept backed up with example code that demonstrates how to properly execute it. We also show you how to package and deploy your Watch application to the Apple AppStore. By the end of this book, you will have a good understanding of how to develop apps for Apple Watch platform using the WatchKit framework and Swift 2.0.

Who is this book for?

This book is intended for developers who are interested in creating amazing apps for the Apple Watch platform. Readers are expected to have some experience using Swift.

What you will learn

  • Navigate within the WatchKit interface using page-based, modal, and hierarchical navigation techniques
  • Work with context menus to interact with the Apple Watch Taptic Engine and respond to their actions by integrating Haptic feedback
  • Use the MapKit framework to display a map within the WatchKit interface
  • Build effective user interfaces for the WatchKit platform and integrate HealthKit capabilities to synchronize data between the iOS app and the WatchKit UI
  • Design your apps for the Apple Watch platform with the UI design guidelines
  • Reinforce image compression and caching to display animations within the Apple Watch user interface
  • Explore WatchKit tables to purchase products and pay for them using Apple Pay
  • Analyze the new layout system to ensure that your Apple Watch apps work with various screen sizes

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Apr 29, 2016
Length: 358 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785886362
Vendor :
Apple
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Product Details

Publication date : Apr 29, 2016
Length: 358 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785886362
Vendor :
Apple
Category :
Languages :
Concepts :
Tools :

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Apple Watch App Development
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Building Apple Watch Projects
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Table of Contents

12 Chapters
1. Introducing the Swift Programming Language Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Understanding Apple Watch Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Exploring WatchKit Controls Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Using the Core Location and Watch Connectivity Frameworks Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Navigating Around in WatchKit Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Implementing Tables within Your App Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Adding Menus to Your App Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Incorporating the Glance Interface in Your App Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Incorporating Notifications within Your App Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. Image Compression and Animation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
11. Packaging and Deploying Your App Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon Empty star icon 3.5
(2 Ratings)
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Amazon Customer Jul 03, 2016
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
This book give a nice introduction for anybody who's interested in creating apps for the Apple Watch. It doesn‘t really matter if you have already done iOS development before or not. Some basic programming know-how is expected though.Code samples are all in Swift. Don‘t worry if you're not too experienced in Swift, it's an easy language to get the hang off. Any IDE specific workflow is well described with screenshots.Throughout the book the reader learns how to build different features of a watch app with a set of sample projects. They're realistic examples where you can see results and use as a base to experiment further.Disclaimer: I'm the technical reviewer for this book. I'm not being paid for this review and it solely reflects my own opinion.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
RichApple Apr 25, 2023
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 3
As a long time Apple developer, I still have issues with Apple documentation. This book helps kick start the core processes in your development cycle and really reduces your 'research' time to get a sample project running.Watch App development seems to be a bit under covered in the developer book world. This is one of my favorite 'how do I do that again' reference. Well worth saving your time being creative, and not wasting your time reading Apple docs on core processes.Reading/referencing this book makes going back to the Apple docs much less cryptic.Needs to be updated for current Swift and WatchKit OS
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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