Not keeping your technologies up-to-date and user-friendly can slow down your production process and weaken your employee experience. With an abundance of technologies from all platforms, gauging the use of the right one can be difficult. Sticking to what you know can be beneficial when it comes to avoiding migration processes, but is sticking with old technology worth the risk?
iOS applications used to be written in Objective-C. Established in 1986, the latest Objective-C update was released in 1997. Although the technology is stable, it lacks many modern features leaving a big learning curve- making it difficult to read and maintain. So, what’s the solution you ask? Upgrade to Swift. Here are the reasons why industry leaders are migrating from Objective-C to Swift for iOS Mobile App development:
What is Swift?
Swift is the user-friendly way- even to new programmers- to write software, whether it’s for phones, servers, desktops, or anything else that runs code. This interactive programming language combines the best in modern language thinking with intelligence from the broader Apple engineering practice. Without compromising on either side, the compiler is designed to enhance performance and the language is revamped for development.
This first industrial-quality programming language is as enjoyable as scripting language. Writing Swift code in its playground allows you to experiment with code and will demo the results immediately, without having to build and run the app.
Swift Programming is modern, with a lightweight syntax that allows complex ideas to be conveyed in a clear straight to the point manner; making code easier to read, write and maintain.
Swift’s Modern Programming Patterns:
- Variables are always initialized before use.
- Options ensure that nil values are handled carefully.
- Numbers checked for overflow.
- Memory is managed automatically.
- Error handling allows controlled recovery from unanticipated failures.
So why is Swift's iOS performance better than Objective-C, you ask? With its first release in 2014, Swift code is assembled and revamped to get the most out of modern hardware. The obvious way to write your code should also be the way your code performs the best-Swift’s structure and standard library have been built on this guiding principle. The safety and speed sequence make Swift an exceptional choice for everything from a greeting message to an entire operating system.
iOS Mobile App: Swift vs Objective-C
Developer advantages
- Modern language - Leaner, safer, more readable code
- Less prone to making mistakes
- Newer libraries and extensions
Business gains
- Better performance compared to Objective-C
- Maintainability over long term
Who should migrate
- Applications under active development - products, services
- Applications to be maintained for long term - enterprise apps
With years in the making, and continuous evolution of new features and capabilities, the goals for Swift are almost endless! We can’t wait to see what you create with it.
