iOS version 10 and later. Each new release of iOS is such a big departure from the previous one that it just doesn’t make sense anymore to keep developing for older devices and iOS versions. Things move fast in the world of mobile computing! The majority of iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad users are pretty quick to upgrade to the latest version of iOS anyway, so you don’t need to be too worried that you’re leaving potential users behind. Owners of older devices, such as the iPhone 4S or the first iPads, may be stuck with iOS version 9 or earlier but this is only a tiny portion of the market. ios app development course
The cost of supporting these older iOS versions with your apps is usually greater than the handful of extra customers it brings you. It’s ultimately up to you to decide whether it’s worth making your app available to users with older devices, but my recommendation is that you focus your efforts where they matter most.
Apple as a company always relentlessly looks towards the future – if you want to play in Apple’s backyard, it’s wise to follow their lead. So back to the future, it is!
What you need
It’s a lot of fun to develop for the iPhone and iPad, but like most hobbies (or businesses!) it will cost some money.
Of course, once you get good at it and build an awesome app, you’ll have the potential to make that money back many times.
You will have to invest in the following:
iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. I’m assuming that you have at least one of these. iOS 10 runs on the following devices: iPhone 5 or newer, iPad 4th generation or newer, iPad mini 2 or newer, 6th generation iPod touch. If you have an older device, then this is a good time to think about getting an upgrade. But don’t worry if you don’t have a suitable device: you can do everything in the Simulator.
Mac computer with an Intel processor. Any Mac that you’ve bought in the last few years will do, even a Mac mini or MacBook Air. It needs to have at least OS X 10.11 El Capitan or macOS 10.12 Sierra. Xcode, the development environment for iOS apps, is a memory-hungry tool so having 4 GB of RAM in your Mac is no luxury. You might be able to get by with less, but do yourself a favor and upgrade your Mac.
The more RAM, the better. A smart developer invests in good tools! With some workarounds, it is possible to develop iOS apps on Windows or a Linux machine, or a regular PC that has macOS installed (a so-called “Hackintosh”), but you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle by just getting a Mac. If you can’t afford to buy the latest model, then consider getting a second-hand Mac from eBay. Just make sure it meets the minimum requirements (Intel CPU, preferably more than 1 GB RAM). Should you happen to buy a machine that has an older version of OS X (10.10 Yosemite or earlier), you can upgrade to the latest version of macOS from the online Mac App Store for free.
Apple Developer Program account. You can download all the development tools for free and you can try out your apps on your own iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch while you’re developing, so you don’t have to join the Apple Developer Program just yet. But to submit finished apps to the App Store you will have to enroll in the paid developer program. This will cost you $99 per year.