My book is finally done! iOS Programming for .NET Developers has been a labor of love. I wrote this book to help .NET devs leverage their existing skills to understand iOS programming. When I first moved to the iOS world no book like it existed, but I sure wish it had.
The book explains iOS development by comparing and contrasting it with tools, APIs, and concepts familiar to .NET developers. For example, it compares Xcode to Visual Studio, and Objective-C to C#. After working on large, successful enterprise iPhone and iPad applications, I felt it was time to help other .NET devs pick up this valuable skillset.
Where to get it
Nook – Buy it from Barnes & Noble
Free sample
I have created a free PDF sample of the book. Download it here.
Reviews
“The similarities between the two environments are far from obvious, but I am happy to say that there are a great many! I feel that reading this book has increased my comprehension of iOS application development far quicker than a standard text on learning iOS would have allowed.”
by Colin Eberhardt
CIO of Shinobi Controls
Senior Technical Architect at Scott Logic
FAQ
Q) Is there any difference between the iBooks and Kindle editions?
A) Yes, there is a visual difference. The iBooks edition has better looking images than the Kindle edition. Amazon “converts” a book’s images by reducing their quality during the publishing process, in order to make book files smaller and faster to download. Apple does not alter the images, so they look much better. If you have a choice, buy the iBooks edition. Both editions are the same price.
Q) Is the book’s source code properly formatted?
A) I put a very high priority on having the best source code formatting and legibility possible. That’s why I spent many hours taking screenshots of the book’s code examples, instead of just pasting them into the book. Each code example in the book looks exactly like how it looks in the Xcode IDE.
Q) Can the book be bought via PayPal?
A) Yes, the paperback edition can be bought via PayPal.
Josh Smith on WPF 
Can this be bought via paypal?
Joey,
Yes, the paperback copy can be bought via paypal.
http://tinyurl.com/7pm7gaa
Thanks,
Josh
Sorry sir, I meant ebook via paypal.
In that case, the answer is no. You can’t use PayPal to buy a book from Kindle, iBooks, or Nook.
Ok sir. Thanks. 😦
Downloaded the sample of the iBooks version. looks interesting and I am going to buy the full version.
Like you I spent my career as a Microsoft developer as well as 6 years as an MVP. My day job is still developing for Lync.But I wanted to get into developing for the iPhone and iPad. I looked at Sencha Touch and html 5 but decided against all the non native workarounds.
I decided to go native and purchased an iMac as well as signed up for the developer program. I am going through the iOS Programming book from Big Nerd Ranch at the moment. I figured that making a big financial investment like the iMac would keep me focused (don’t want to waste that expense) and also serve me well for several years. I have an iPad as well as an iPhone 4S but my lat Apple computer was a IIC back in the ’80s. Going to be a rough road but I’ll get there.
Thanks for the inspiration..
Marshall,
I love comments like this. Thanks so much for letting me know. I laughed at your use of the term ‘workarounds’ regarding HTML-based mobile platforms. Them fightin’ words with some devs (though I happen to agree with your sentiment…).
Thanks for deciding to go with my book. If you care to share your thoughts about it after reading it through, I’d love to hear them, or read them as a review in iBooks. 🙂
Thanks,
Josh
Bought the book today so you should be a little richer.
My plan is to use it in conjunction with iOS Programming from Big nerd Ranch to map the concepts I am familiar with to the new ones I am learning.
I do have one question for you: what is the best practice for structuring my projects on the file system? In Windows I have a c:\source\projectname type of system I use, is there some reccomended directory and file strucure to use when saving my projects?
Thanks Marshall! There are no best practices for where to put your projects on the file system. I happen to keep mine at /Users/jas/Projects (jas is my user name) and that works out fine for me. Regarding folder structure within a project, by default all source files are kept in the same folder, regardless of the groups defined in Xcode’s Project navigator pane. You can choose to create separate subdirectories, perhaps create one for image files, but that’s entirely up to you. Since Objective-C does not have namespaces, and class files should have the name of the class they contain, the language ensures that your source file names won’t conflict (because two classes cannot have the same name).
Bought a 27″ iMac yesterday. getting used to the interface and your really helps. Still not comfortable with where things are or how to do some things but plan on starting the Big Nerd Ranch iOS Programming book this evening.
Awesome stuff – been looking for a book like this. .NET has served me well (and will continue to), but iOS is a good diversification strategy. Agree with the sentiment on HTML5. Leave that to the masses! Native coding in any platform has always been a good way to distinguish your skillset 🙂
Thanks Andy!
On Aug 14, 2012,
I have a Mac Book Air so no IBooks…And I don’t want some resolution hobbled book for Android.. Can I buy a PDF version?
Lee, Sorry but I don’t sell a PDF version. Perhaps the paperback edition would suit your needs? All editions are the same price.
Im pretty sure there’s a Kindle version, and kindle reader on all sorts of platforms. Is that any good Lee?
Hi Josh, are you planning a refresh of the book for iOS 7, or do you think that’s unnecessary?
I’m not planning a refresh. The bulk of the material in my book is still valid and relevant. There have been a lot of new additions to the iOS development platform since I published but that didn’t make my book obsolete. To catch up with the new features and changes in iOS 7 after reading my book check out the Core iOS 7 course at http://www.codeschool.com/courses/core-ios-7 I am working through that course now and find it very informative and efficient, but it’s aimed at developers already familiar with iOS development, unlike my book which is for .NET devs.