Begin with learning Android or iOS?

8 points by infogaufire 12 years ago | 7 comments

I am web programmer(LAMP stack) & 3x entrepreneur and planning to take a break from work to learn mobile dev.

Which mobile dev. shall I learn for next 3-4 months? Android or iOS? My end goal is build some mobile-first products in future.

Although, I will be hiring experienced folks to build these products but I prefer building working prototypes before taking up any business idea full time.

If possible, also suggest some good resource to learn whatever framework/OS you suggest.

tagabek 12 years ago |

I would start with iOS. With each of these paths, you will be ready to build your first project.

Books

http://www.amazon.com/Objective-C-Programming-Ranch-Guide-Gu...

http://www.amazon.com/iOS-Programming-Ranch-Edition-Guides/d...

Videos

http://www.codeschool.com/paths/ios

http://teamtreehouse.com/library/ios-development

dragos2 12 years ago |

This is really a hard call. On one hand Java is easier to learn than Obj-C in my opinion, on the other hand XCode provides a better workflow than Eclipse, IntelliJ or the newly released Android Studio.

Some people suggested going with a multi-platform framework. I'm against that because you will not really learn how Android or iOS apps really work.

For me, a multi-platform framework is really good when you have limited resources and want to quickly build an app for more platforms. For learning purposes, I recommend going native.

NicoJuicy 12 years ago |

Android has a more iterative state of mind. I would do that. Also, It is becoming much more popular, has more users, ... And seems to be winning the fight for mobile phones.

Once you get the product right, you could convert it to iOS. But it takes longer for having an iterative development process there... (long approval time = long waiting for feedback, ...)

dragonbonheur 12 years ago |

Go multi-platform with either Cordova(free), Monkey (cheap, http://www.monkeycoder.co.nz/ ) or Gamemaker (more expensive for mobile). You'll have your prototypes ready in days instead of weeks for the last two and maybe even without hiring anyone.

coryl 12 years ago |

I learned iOS/Objective-C as my first programming language. I've tinkered around with Android but haven't shipped much. I would recommend iOS. You get the interface builder/storyboards which should help you prototype.

dunamis1 12 years ago |

Android would be a good place to start if you intend going global with your apps but if you focus is the States then you gotta start with iOS (although you would still need to get into Android soon)

scheff 12 years ago |

Suggest Appcelerator or Phonegap due to your web skills and the speed with which you can pump out an app. I had a full working app in 3 months that ran on both Android and iPhone. One code base.