Swift, announced by Apple in June 2014, is the latest programming language for iPhone application development. Before the introduction of Swift, Objective-C was used to develop applications on the iOS platform.
In recent times, we see developers making a clear shift from Objective-C to Swift. Before we address which is better for iPhone application development and why Swift is gaining more popularity in the recent times, we need to understand the differences between the two and how it affects the iPhone app development process as a whole.
What is Swift?
Swift was launched as a consumer-friendly programming language for creating engaging applications in iPhone application development. Swift was primarily used to develop software that is completely compatible with the IoT (Internet of Things) like the Apple Watch and other similar devices. The language was developed in such a way that it boosts the performance of applications and also has all the features of Objective-C.
Brief History of Swift and Objective-C
To get a brief understanding of the shift from Objective-C to Swift, we need to take a look at the development history of the iOS programming language in iPhone app development.
In 2008, saw the development of iPhone SDK 2.0. This was a revolution in iPhone application development USA. App developers were facing a huge challenge in developing apps in Objective-C. This was a time when there was a struggle to hire iOS Programmers who were well-versed in the language.
In 2010, saw new changes in the development front, Apple launched version 4 of the iPhone OS. There was a new developer agreement that was established which stated that all applications needed to be coded in C, C++, and Objective-C. Only these will compile and directly link with Documented APIs. These changes help in successfully populating the App Store with several high-quality apps.
Even though Objective-C was gaining popularity in the app world, many developers were dissatisfied with Objective-C during iPhone application development process. IOS app developers were trying to develop iPhone apps using other languages. Apple was continuously working on Objective-C and improving it on many levels. However, it took almost 6 years for Apple Corp to understand that Objective-C might not be the best language for coding apps. After this phase iOS developed Swift, the new coding language.
Swift was an interactive platform which was considered easy to learn and write apps with powerful new features and boost iPhone application development. It provided speed and real-time feedback which helped in better development of apps as a part of iPhone app development.
On a large scale, Swift is easier and lets developers be more productive throughout the iPhone application development process. The market was open diversified which made it easy to hire iOS developers.
10 Reasons Why Swift Replaces Objective-C in iPhone Application Development
1. A step closer to the future - Swift is one of the most well-organized and well-structured open source app programming languages used in iPhone application development USA. After being declared as an open source programming language in 2015, it became the fastest growing network in the world.
2. Reduce coding efforts - With proper inline support, Swift helps in proper and completely error-free coding. Producing strings helps in reducing coding efforts to a great extent. It is easy to implement, the number of files gets cut in half, making it easier to handle as well.
3. Lesser maintenance - Objective-C had two separate files that developers were supposed to manage to boost efficiency and building time on any application. Swift is more compact and hence files need lesser maintenance. Swift combines Objective-C implementation (.m) file and header (.h) file and in one single program code file (.swift). This makes it more reliable in turn improving performance.
4. Fewer chances of crashes - Swift detects errors faster as they detect syntax errors in the development process. It also comes with suggestions that makes error identification an easy process. The iPhone application development process is also fast as maintenance becomes easy, keeping the quality of apps intact.
5. Lesser bugs - Coders are cutting down coding length by using the features of Swift. Type Interface helps developers avoid incorrect coding because of the incorrect input values. It also gives a feedback loop which helps in nullifying errors.
6. Highly secured apps - Swift has a security framework with multiple APIs that are used to handle certificates, authorization services, trust policies, keys, and apply cryptography encryption on the messages. This makes both the iPhone app development Process and the end product secure.
7. Apps take less space - With Swift applications, more dynamic libraries are being used which are directly loaded in app memory reducing the original application size. This, in turn, improves the performance of apps.
8. Smoother updates - Updates have also become easy because of the simple coding that Swift offers. This helps in keeping applications in sync with the current demands
9. Perfect for the Cloud - Swift is ideal for Cloud-based app development. All that you look for in cloud-based apps like security, speed, friendly interface they are all on Swift. It has become the most preferred language choice is very little time.
10. Development of all apps - Swift is an all-encompassing platform, it can help in the development of both complex and simple apps. Whether an app has complex features or a single function both can be easily developed with Swift programming language.
Also, Swift help developers build iOS apps as a much faster speed which is much better when compared to Objective-C.
The Biggest Advantage of Swift
The key to Swift will always concentrate on community support. As Swift is an open-source platform, it gets the backing of a large community of developers. If there are any bugs in the system or it crashes at any time, there can be real-time fixes done on it. If developers are stuck at any stage, they can help each other in the development process. Swift has gained utmost importance because of its community support. iPhone application development has become a smoother process with Swift and its community support.
On one hand, Objective-C needed semicolons, header files, and pointers. Types had to be declared in Objective-C. It also needed KVO and custom settings. On the other hand, on Swift types are inferred, functions are first class objects and collections are typed using generics. Swift offers simpler string manipulation and memory is managed automatically.
With simple grammar and syntax, Swift has higher potential in delivering quality apps with greater speed and user-friendly interface. Hiring iOS Developers has become a smoother process with Swift. With the success of Swift in iOS platform, it can be easily foreseen that soon Swift will be made Android compatible. This will help us to Port iOS app to Android without separate coding. With the immense popularity of Swift worldwide it is easy to hire iOS developers.
About the Author:
Kay Parkar is the co-founder of HokuApps that helps startups and enterprises in Mobile Application Development Technology. He loves Low-Code Development Platforms, especially Rapid Application Technology. He works in a leading iPhone Application Development Services with skilled iOS app developers that has developed innovative Iphone applications across various fields such as Entertainment, Productivity, Social Causes, Education, Finance, Insurance, Health and much more and has bagged numerous awards for the same.
Top comments (1)
Objective-C was the first programming language that I began learning on. From what I know all the big FAANG companies use Objective-C because of all the legacy code, and Ive even heard that Swift is just "syntactical sugar", I am learning Swift, but go back to Objective-C from time to time to try to not forget all about it.