Reddit mentions of The Core iOS 6 Developer's Cookbook (4th Edition) (Developer's Library)

I certainly don't mind questions. I got into iOS development shortly after the App Store was announced. I was taking Java classes in college and found them to be extremely boring, so I picked up this book (but the iOS 3 version) and just worked through it. I probably spent more time studying that book than I did studying for my actual programming classes.

Eventually I made an unofficial reddit app, which got me threatening legal letters from CondeNast (they were NOT happy). I had originally gotten the all-clear from jedberg in the reddit IRC room, but apparently he didn't have the legal authority to say it was OK. The devs at the time sent me a box of goodies, a poster, some stickers, and even a employee-only tshirt as an apology for the reaction from the legal department.

After that I started picking up side jobs off craigslist, using the reddit app as my showpiece. Looking back on it, that app was terrible, but it was where I started. I even put a reddit sticker on my car to remind me of where I got my leg up.

I love it because it's fun, always a challenge, and I can make something from nothing.

I started iOS programming with : http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-iPhone-Development-Exploring-SDK/dp/1430216263/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1372191579&sr=8-7&keywords=iphone+programming


Once I got past the basics, I got myself this : http://www.amazon.com/Core-Developers-Cookbook-Edition-Library/dp/0321884213/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1372191615&sr=8-4&keywords=iphone+programming

I would check for newer versions of the books though.

By access another application's data it depends on what you mean. Can you access 3rd party applications' data? No, each application is sandboxed and unable to communicate with each other. If it's a base iOS application though, Apple allows you to make calls to several of the base functionalities for use. You can utilize location services as well as maps in your app.

One suggestion I would make if you're just getting started. I would look to HTML 5 and multiplatform development solutions. More and more, these are becoming the standard rather than native applications. Because of this, I wouldn't start with iOS programming, but javascript instead. Don't waste your time with base javascript, instead choose a library to work with. jQuery is my personal choice.

From there, you have the basic knowledge to start using cross platform tools such as Sencha Touch or Apache Cordova (formerly phone gap). With these tools, you can develop for iOS and Android at the same time. Cordova also allows you to write native code when HTML & Javascript just isn't getting the job done.