Should I go for Flash/Java for iPhone development or continue with Apple tools?

Question

Hello All,

As Apple has removed the restriction for java and flash should I go for these tools or just continue developing iPhone/iPad apps using Apple tools(Xcode, objective C .. etc).

I want to know the benefits of using apple tool instead of java or flash.

Thanks

Answer 1

This is a no brainer. For iPhone, use Apple's SDK. You'll get latest APIs first than in any other platform, better performance, and, what's even more important, you are sure that Apple will keep pushing its API. With other products (like Java, Flash or Mono) you will always fear they changing their policies when they want. No guarantees.

Answer 2

Java is not an option anyway. There is no Java runtime for the iPhone that you can use to produce apps.

Answer 3

It really depends on what kinds of apps you are making.

• If you are just making a basic app, that you want to look like the standard Apple apps, you shouldn't switch.
• If you really rely on Flash as a base, you should use that.
• If you have little experience with Objective-C and prefer to code in C#/*.NET*, you may go for MonoTouch.

It really depends on your preferations, but if you want the most stable, reliable, and supported platform, you should go with Objective-C.

In my eyes, you should really only be using anything other than the standard Objective-C if it is utterly necessary, as others have pointed out; with Apple, you get the latest API's first, better performance, etc.

Answer 4

For new development I would jump in and use Apple's frameworks with Objective-C. If you're entering a new country you should speak their language. However, which development framework you choose will be largely dependent on whether or not you have an existing product. If you're just trying to target a new platform with an existing code-base it may be in your best interest to use an intermediary framework like MonoTouch or Adobe's Packager for iPhone.

1. If your codebase is Java, you'll be starting from scratch in Objective-C. Java is not currently available in any form on iOS.
2. If your codebase is in ActionScript 3, you may want to explore Adobe's Packager for iPhone. It will likely have a shorter path to market if your are porting an app already developed on ActionScript 3, but you will always be at the mercy of Adobe's intermediate layers. I know less about the Adobe bindings and how your application actually compiles, so I can't speak to any additional technical-risks there.
3. If your codebase is in C#, you may want to look at Novell's MonoTouch. Again, this may result in a shorter time to market. You still need to develop on a Mac (MonoDevelop only works on a Mac), and some .NET APIs are not available on Mono.
4. In any other circumstance I'd pick up Objective-C and use Apple's SDK directly. It's always tough to learn a new language (especially one as different as Objective-C), but it's worth it in the end.

Use the tool that will make the most sense for your goals and the experience you want to provide your users. Apple's lifting of restrictions only removes one risk: that using a framework not endorsed by Apple will be the sole reason for App Store rejection. The lifting of restrictions will not remove other risks that may exist like:

1. Continued support by third-party vendors (Novell, Adobe) of their frameworks.
2. Inability to target/test against the newest version of iOS until third-party frameworks add official support.