Learn iPhone Programming on a Budget

Filed under: Development, iPhone, Objective-c, Apple

Tagged: apple, iphone, objective-c

The world of iPhone and OS X development is not an easy one to break into. There is a steep learning curve involved even for those who have experience developing on other platforms, not to mention the time it takes for a relatively green developer to learn the ropes. For this reason (among others), iPhone developers are able to charge great rates when they are commissioned to create apps.

In general, there are tons of great resources out there that cover Objective-C, Cocoa, Cocoa Touch, and Xcode. However, the number of iPhone-specific resources is a bit limited given that the developer NDA was lifted less than a year ago. Most of the resources that do exist are not cheap and are far from beginner-friendly.

Luckily, the folks over at Stanford were kind enough to record an entire course for aspiring iPhone developers. The course, which ran through the Spring 2009 semester, was the first iPhone development course taught by the university and is being offered as a video podcast free of charge on iTunes U (iTunes Link). The class covers everything from basic Obj-C programming to full-blown 3D development using OpenGL.

This course is especially appealing if you are a visual learner. The videos primarily feature the lecturers, but frequently switch to full-sized versions of the slides that are being displayed at the time.