When it comes to Swift for iOS development, mobile app developers no longer always have to analyze and review their choices.
Making the switch to the full-featured and more approachable Swift is the way to go nowadays. This makes it easy for entrepreneurs to transform their innovative ideas into incredible mobile applications.
For a long time, Objective-C was the major language used for iOS and OSX app development. This language is a superset of the C language but comes with a dynamic runtime and additional object-oriented features.
But using Objective-C for app development was pretty tough. However, Swift is rapidly taking over a significant chunk of the iOS mobile app development market share.
Swift is a highly intuitive, object-oriented programming language introduced by Apple in 2014 exclusively for software development for macOS, iOS, and watchOS. Entrepreneurs are now assured that whatever idea or concept they have can work when they use Swift for iOS.
Gone are the days when iOS app development used to be complicated or challenging and time-consuming, which often resulted in frequent app crashes.
Popular applications like Artsy, WeChat, Yep, Furni, and a host of others were developed in Swift iOS. And since the initial Swift for iOS development was presented to the market, many projects are presently migrating to this remarkable programming language.
Writing code in Swift iOS is interactive and fun as the syntax is powerfully brief. This programming language comes with several modern features that mobile app developers love to work on. The code written using Swift is also safe and contributes to software development that runs with lightning speed.
Swift uses a combination of Objective-C and C without a direct built-in C compatibility, thereby leaving out the limitations that come with it. And with the help of Cocoa and Cocoa Touch, Swift programming language has uniquely redefined our understanding of mobile app development on all iOS platforms.
Statistics about Swift for iOS development
Swift was made accessible to the public in the 2014 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The programming language was upgraded to version 1.2 that same year and another major upgrade to Swift 2 at WWDC 2015.
- Swift is presently clinching the 8th place as the most popular programming language in 2019.
- Programmers love Swift for iOS. Swift for iOS development is the 4th most popular programming language among developers.
- TIOBE and PYPL index reinforces the fact that the usage and fame of Swift programming is rising every year
- Swift pays far better compared to other mobile app development languages. A skilled Swift developer gets an average of $54,000-57,000 per year.
What are the defining features of the Swift programming language?
There are several methods to assess a programming language, but the two main features are capabilities and syntax.
- CapabilitiesThe integration of open-source dynamic libraries is part of the possibilities absent in Objective-C. These libraries come with prepped solutions for everyday tasks. It also permits the decrease of mobile apps’ size, thereby saving a lot of space in the memory of user devices.
- SyntaxSyntax in programming refers to the set of rules that readily describe the interdependence and order of alphabetic characters as well as grammatical structures in a programming language.Swift was initially part of Objective-C; however, several differences have significantly increased in recent years regarding conditions, invocation methods, classes, cycles, the declaration of constants, and enumerations. For the latter, however, they are not assigned integer values by default. More often than not, the structure of the code is evidently simpler than that of Objective-C. It has the capacity to provide a radical user experience, thereby taking your business to a higher level.
Why choose Swift for iOS development?
Swift for iOS is a state-of-the-art programming language that also works for watchOS and OS X. It helps developers to build applications that run flawlessly on this operating system.
The following key points of Swift for iOS include:
- Brand mentions (with or without links)
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- Brand mentions (with or without links)
- Social media sharing of your content
- Bookmarking, etc.
Swift for iOS is a state-of-the-art programming language that also works for watchOS and OS X. It helps developers to build applications that run flawlessly on this operating system.
The following key points of Swift for iOS include:
- Objective –C interoperability
- Cutting-edge error handling model
- Collaborative and interactive playgrounds
- Secure and fast
- New, reliable, and updated syntax features
- Leverages the remarkable power of open-source
In Swift iOS, safe and secure coding is ensured. The programming language is touted for the extreme clarity that makes it easy for beginners to use as well as a high degree of error-resistance. Moreover, Swift eliminates every risky code class while ensuring the creation of a protected environment to make a stable solution.
For developers who still love Objective-C or who are not entirely convinced about Swift for iOS development, here are the top 10 reasons to opt for Swift for iOS app development:
- 1. Easy to codeMost programming languages used in mobile application development calls for complex and high command lines for complicated solutions. But Swift, on the other hand, is concise and can also reduce LOC, thereby making programming much faster and more efficient.Code reusability is incredibly high since fewer lines of code are generally required for complex tasks. A lot of time is saved as a result of this because programmers can easily recall which aspect of the code can be utilized without changing any other part of the project.
- 2. Linux developmentSwift programming language comes with full capabilities for developing cross-platform applications based on Linux and iOS/OS. A key feature is the ability to use the programming language in Linux environments where Objective-C is not readily available.
- 3. MaintenanceWhen Objective-C was the main programming language used for iOS app development, there was one major problem that coders always encountered. The programming language lacked the ability to evolve since it was a subset of C language. It is a tough task since Objective-C can only evolve after the language C.And for this reason, iOS app coders had no choice but to maintain 2 files in order to improve efficiency and build time. However, when Swift for iOS came into the picture, the programming language combined the Objective-C header (.h) and implementation files (.m) into a single code file (.swift).Another notable flaw of Objective-C programming language was that developers had to synchronize method names as well as comments between files manually. But Swift coders can easily use this period to develop app logic and also improve the quality of their code, among other things.
- 4. Data managementSwift for iOS also wins in the area of data management at a much faster pace compared to its predecessors. This programming language utilizes LLVM for operating platforms and optimized native codes.Coders get the profound opportunity to rework or touch up many groups as structures. And for that reason, these tasks take much less time than Objective-C.
- 5. Open-sourceSwift was declared open-source in 2015, which considerably changed the programming language’s faces to a significant extent. And after the declaration, Apple allowed the use of Swift programming language for a wide variety of purposes.Since Swift is now open-source, it has become very easy to track the bugs, upgrade the codes as well as create an email list. Apple also receives a lot of feedback from the supportive community and has been making remarkable changes accordingly.Swift also supports all Linux-based platforms, thereby making it incredibly diverse. This is why developers love using Swift for iOS development.
- 6. Lightning speedSwift programming language has one of the fastest algorithm calculation metrics compared to Objective-C. The operations for the programming language are also much faster compared to several other languages.In Swift iOS, developers are enabled to use high-order functions and generics to ensure the codes remain clean and reusable, thereby saving a lot of time.
- 7. Highly interactiveOne of the most vital benefits that Swift for iOS development offers to mobile solutions service providers is that it works in a highly interactive environment. Coders can also see the output of their work while coding. This means that any error in coding can be spotted almost immediately and amended during the coding stage.If any loops in the code that a programmer is writing exist, the coder can see it in the timeline panel where variables are being calculated.
- 8. Playground featuresPlayground features enable programmers to test new algorithms without the need to create a fully-developed iOS mobile application. And for this, iOS added inline code execution to help developers make headways with algorithms or a mass of code while receiving a lot of feedback along the way.The feedback can significantly enhance the speed via which code can be written with the help of data visualization. Swift and Playground are Apple’s efforts to making the iOS app development process more approachable and easier for any mobile application development firm.
- 9. No clogging of memorySwift is incredibly light, thanks to its extensive and dynamic library support. And since static memory is virtually absent in Swift iOS, issues such as the clogging up of memory will be non-existent.Besides, dynamic libraries generally have only one copy, which means the footprint will end up considerably reduced.
- 10. Enhances safetyAn error that happens in Swift iOS programming is much less compared to that of its predecessor Objective-C, thanks to Swift’s error handling capacities and improved typing system. Therefore, it is evident that safety is the foremost concern in developing such a feature-rich and robust programming language.Additionally, due to error tracking capability and short feedback loops, coders will be able to spot errors when writing code instantly.Swift for iOS has relatively fewer crashes and cases of problematic performance, which is why the programming language is considered more stable for iOS app development.
Other Reasons for Choosing Swift for iOS
- API availability checkThe presence of API availability check function – which is usually implemented by the favorable conditions in ‘guard’ or ‘if’ statements – is excellent news for neophyte developers. This means that your app will only utilize those APIs that are readily for specific deployment targets.
- Higher-order functionsHigher-order functions help in reducing the amount of code. Nested and anonymous functions, closures, and idioms, along with several other features not found in different programming languages. It also allows developers to create simple, single-line expressions.
- Maximization of the iOS app performanceAnother reason developers opt for Swift for iOS development has to do with an increased performance level. This is because most of the Swift programming language functions are executed faster than in other programming languages designed exclusively for the iOS platform.Apple claims that sorting complex objects in Swift iOS runs at least 1.5 times faster than in Objective-C and 3.9 times faster than in Python. This programming language also effectively handles the rational distribution of memory. It implies that veteran developers do not need to allocate separate cells for digital objects. This enables the compiler to spend processing resources even more efficiently and effectively.
Less coding
Swift has a clear syntax, eliminating the need for the usage of legacy conventions such as brackets and semicolons. This makes the programming language require less coding.
The latest update of Swift for iOS: Swift 5.1.4
Apple does its best to continually improve Swift and other iOS development languages to make them even more useful and efficient. Swift 5.1.4 is the latest Swift update and was launched as recently as January 31, 2020, right after the resounding success of Swift 5.1 that was launched on September 10, 2019.
Swift for iOS is gaining ground in the app development universe. This relatively new programming language takes several useful components from its predecessor, Objective-C, while introducing a host of new features that allow developers to write safer and more reliable codes.
Many developers now trust in Swift iOS as it is quickly becoming one of the leading programming languages for creating highly engaging and user-friendly mobile applications.
The momentum Swift has gained recently is practically unprecedented in the world of iOS app development.
Taking into account the numerous benefits of Swift for iOS along with the speed of compilation as well as executable assembly, incredibly simple semantics and syntax, it is no wonder that Swift is considered one of the best and prominent programming languages today.
