Last week, Apple announced the latest version of their language for writing apps for iOS: Swift 2. They also announced that they’ll be making Swift open source and that, in the future, app developers will be able to create iOS apps using Swift, even if they don’t have a Macintosh computer.
While this announcement does show a step forward for Apple, we at WatzThis? aren’t entirely impressed. Making Swift open source merely puts it on the same level as almost every other programming language. And every human language, for that matter. Apple still requires you to use their language, tools, and hardware — and to pay them an annual fee — in order to have the privilege of creating apps for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. These requirements allow them to charge fees and sell software and hardware to anyone who wants to be a part of the Apple App Store, the only source for iOS apps.
As all-encompassing as Apple seems to be, there is another way. Since 2011 we have been teaching people how to build mobile web apps. Mobile Web Apps are created using standard web technologies: JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS. These languages are open source and maintained by international standards organizations. They’re the most widely-used and the most widely understood computer languages. They’re also the most widely-deployed. Any device that has a web browser employs these technologies and they function properly on any device. When you build mobile web apps with HTML5, CSS and JavaScript, you have the ability to create an app that will function properly on just about any device; smartphone or tablet. Android, iPhone, or Windows phone.
Programmers who we’ve spoken to like Swift as a language. Most computer programmers actually love to learn and use new languages. However, they also recognize that having to work in completely different ways to create iOS apps, Android apps, desktop programs, and web apps wastes time and pushes the boundaries of what an individual or small team can do.
The solution to the proliferation of different languages and different requirements for creating mobile apps for different devices is here, and we’ve been teaching people how to do it for 4 years.
There is no reason why the best apps in the world can’t be created using JavaScript and web languages; and some of them already are! By writing apps with web languages, you gain the ability to move away from having to learn proprietary languages and rewrite your app for different devices. These standard web technologies do not discriminate or seek to create a monopoly, but rather, create an open source web where innovation and the sharing of ideas can spur future discoveries and innovations.
A new session of our online classes, including Creating Mobile Apps with HTML5, starts every third Wednesday of every month! If your’e interested in learning about the future of mobile app development, click here to read more and register!
As always, thank you for reading.