iOS is a mobile operating system (OS) that Apple specifically developed for its mobile devices. It was originally implemented on the iPhone in 2007, although Apple has since extended iOS for other devices such as the iPad and iPod Touch. The App Store offers over 2.2 million iOS apps as of January 2017, of which 1 million are native apps for iPads.
iOS accepts a variety of user inputs based on the direct manipulation of control elements such as buttons, sliders and switches. This interaction with the OS includes single gestures such as tap, swipe, pinch and reverse pinch as well as combinations of these gestures.
Some iOS apps also use a device’s internal accelerometer, allowing a user to enter commands by shaking or rotating the device. These capabilities let users with hearing and vision disabilities operate iOS devices more easily.
The Popularity of iOS
Apple leads the market for mobile devices in the US, making iOS a particularly good choice for businesses with a market in this country. The popularity of Apple’s mobile devices allows businesses to specifically target consumers in locations with a high concentration of these products. Experienced app developers can use this popularity to build apps that reflect their client’s business, while allowing them to remain competitive in their market. They can also market these apps to a particular demographic group within that market.
How Apple’s Ranking System Works
The Apple App Store uses a ranking system to assess the relative popularity of iOS mobile apps. This system is highly dependent upon user input in the form of ratings and reviews by customers, although it also considers the number of times an app has been downloaded.
Apples’ ranking system provides businesses with a reliable method of measuring the success of their app after it’s launched. It also allows businesses to determine their customers’ opinions of the app by reviewing the forum for that app.
These sources of customer feedback serve as an effective tool that developers can use to ensure that future updates to the app result in a more successful product. Feedback allows the app to continually improve, thus helping a business’s mobile platform to remain competitive.
The Impressive Stability Of iOS
iOS has a well-established reputation for stability, due in part to the relatively small number of devices it needs to support. This results in a lower degree of fragmentation among the developers who build and test iOS apps. Apple also updates iOS frequently, so users are more likely to have a current version of the OS for their mobile device. Frequent updates also reduce the number of OS versions that an app must support. These factors reduce the time that developers must spend on restructuring an app for different devices and OS versions, allowing them to focus on improving the app’s individual elements and overall quality. iOS developers are thus able to build a more stable platform that’s specific to each client.
iOS Adaptability Keeps Apps Lucrative
Mobile apps must be especially adaptable if they are to remain competitive in today’s increasingly volatile business space. Workers require rapid access to information while on the move, making smartphones essential for virtually all businesses. iOS developers should be able to find multiple solutions for helping clients meet their particular business needs. These solutions may include developing a custom iOS app or buying one off the shelf that has already been developed by a company that specializes in this task. iOS’s adaptability is one the reasons that it’s the most lucrative mobile platform, as measured by in-app revenue.
Developing The Features Users Want
iOS users generally have a high expectation of the feature sets for their mobile apps. Developers are able to ensure that an app offers features that maintain a broad reach among its customers without sacrificing quality. The frequent updates to iOS result in shorter development cycles, allowing developers to spend more getting an app ready for market rather than ensuring it can support multiple devices and OS versions. The ability to focus on an app’s look and feel means that developers are better able to meet users’ expectations and manage its evolution in a rapidly changing market.
Security Measures For iOS
Security is a major concern for any business that wants to go mobile, especially enterprises. iOS apps provide a number of security measures that minimize the probability of sensitive data being compromised, including data encryption. These apps also implement measures such as integrated data handling systems, which prevent unauthorized data duplication.
How To Develop Your Mobile App For iOS
Swift is a general-purpose programming language that Apple developed specifically for iOS and other operating systems such as Linux, macOS, tvOS and watchOS. It’s designed to work with the Cocoa Application Programming Interface (API) and Cocoa Touch User Interface (UI) framework, both of which are used to develop iOS apps.
NS804 uses the latest version of Swift to develop native iOS apps that can leverage iOS’s built-in functionalities. Learn more about our process and how to develop the perfect iOS mobile app for your business – contact us online or call 804-292-2637.