Objective C vs Swift. Which platform should you use for your next application?

If you have no idea about iOS development, there are two languages that can used. One is called Objective C and the other is called Swift. Objective C is relatively old in terms of programming languages, founded in the 1980’s has been popular ever since. Swift is really new, created by Apple as an improved language to develop apps on their platform.

What are the best features of Objective C?

  1. It is a proven and stable language. Due to its age, it hasn’t been changed in a long time, making it easier to keep up with.
  2. There are more Objective C developers than there are in Swift. This means that if your project needs a new developer, it would be easier to find one in Objective C.
  3. It’s rich in resources. There has been 33 years for people to write books, create YouTube videos, prepare online courses. So if you’re a learning developer there are a lot of resources covering everything.
  4. There are thousands of libraries written in Objective C, which can be difficult trying to use them in Swift.
  5. Interaction with old school, C and C++, libraries is much easier in Objective C.

What are the best features of Swift?

  1. Swift is easier to read and to understand, it’s syntax is simple and readable. Also, in my opinion the compiler errors are better than those in Objective C.
  2. Due to Apples large investment, Swift as a programming language is constantly improving. It’s compiler, while not perfect, is much improved from this time last year and will continue to get better.
  3. With no need for header files, the number of files can almost instantly be halved. This makes code maintenance a bit easier.
  4. Swift is a much quicker language, it is nearly on a par with C++, known as the quickest language currently available.

Conclusion

As a business, your major focus will be on how quickly your app will be ready for market, the price and whether it will be a success, in a way making this question slightly redundant, but understanding some of the technical side of app creation will always be useful when looking for developers.

From a developer standpoint, Swift is clearly the future, and as Apple do with the majority of their creations, they will make it more and more beneficial to use Swift, and probably find a way to slow down Objective C on XCode and their apps on the app store. However, while Swift is still in such an early stage, and the ease with which an Objective C app can be converted into Swift, the future isn’t here yet and won’t be for a while yet.