Do people in the US and other countries have diverse tastes regarding mobile devices? Statcounter assumes that as of August 2022, iOS holds the 26.4 per cent of the market, while Android holds the 72.7 per cent of the market. If we look at US, we can get that iOS has 56.7 per cent of the market, and its competitor only has 43 per cent.
As most people adore Apple goods, it’s more vital than ever to make iOS apps, so pick the best technology stack for your iOS app. If you wish to utilize a native method instead of a cross-platform one, choose between the new Swift and the old Objective-C.
In this blog, Creatix9 US, the top software and mobile app development company, will go through the pros and cons of Swift programming language. Let’s begin!
Why Do You Need To utilize Swift? Who Is Swift?
Swift is the name of the compiled computer language Apple uses in its iOS, macOS, watchOS, TVOS, and Linux apps. Here are some specialties you should know about Swift.
With Apple’s backing, Swift has been steadily growing in adoption and replacing other computer languages like Objective-C, C++, JavaScript, Kotlin, C#, Python, Ruby, Java, and HTML/CSS is commonly used for iOS app development.
- Open source: The people who made Swift understood that everyone requires access to technology, so they made a standard programming language. Since Swift has been around for seven years, it has built up a large, friendly group and several third-party products.
- Secure: It’s safe because its syntax pushes people to write clear, consistent, and sometimes strict code. Swift is a security option that makes things easier and helps prevent mistakes.
- Speedy: Apple creates Swift to move quickly. But it also lives up to its name and supports you to be more productive. It uses simple language and shows you the easy way. Apple.com says Swift is up to 2.6 times quicker than Objective-C and 8.4 times quicker than Python.
- In Request: Objective C is still at the top of the list, but Swift is ranked 20th among the best computer languages (Objective C is ranked 26th). It ranked eighth among the most popular languages.
Pros Of Swift As a Programing Language
Swift is a fabulous computer language that combines ease of use, speed, interaction, quicker growth, and better user experiences can support businesses. Let’s talk about its pros if you need to start using Swift.
Quick Growth Method
Swift has easy grammar and structure, and its language is clear and short. It makes it easy to write and read code. As it is more concise than Objective-C, it requires less code. Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) takes care of memory management, so no hand work requires. Thus, it consumes less work to make iOS apps, and you can build them faster.
For example, Lyft entirely rewrote their app in Swift, enabling them to achieve the same functionalities (user registration and authentication, payment processing, real-time tracking of drivers and passengers, in-app messaging, ride request, matching, ratings, and reviews, etc.) with much less code and finish a new onboarding procedure in just one week with only one engineer.
Easy To Grow The Product And Team
When needed, you can easily change Swift software to add new features. It enhances User Interface (UI), advanced data processing, connectivity and integration, performance optimization, security enhancements, localization, and internationalization, and they are easy to scale.
Apple currently favors Swift over Objective-C, so it’s a decent option for long-term spending.
Also, Swift’s clean code structure and English-like language make it quicker and easier for new team members to get started. This enables you to grow your development team quickly and easily.
Security And The Rate Of Growth
Swift is quicker and more efficient than Objective-C because Apple creates it that way. Swift was said to be 40% quicker when it was first released. Swift is a code optimization tool that uses the LLVM processor technology to turn assembly language into machine code.
Swift’s robust error handling and typing system also make it safer by making it less likely that errors and crashes will happen during production.
Swift’s quicker feedback loop makes finding and fixing mistakes easier, lowering the need for bug fixes and ensuring that only high-quality code is used.
Memory Usage Decrease
Developers often utilize code from third-party libraries when building apps. It has two common types: static libraries and dynamic libraries.
You can integrate static libraries in the executable file during assembly, making the file larger and taking longer to load. Each app has its own copy of the static library, leading to code duplication.
Dynamic libraries, on the other hand, are loaded only when needed. They are not embedded in the executable file, resulting in smaller file sizes and potentially quicker loading times. Multiple apps can share the same dynamic library, reducing redundancy.
Swift brought dynamic libraries to iOS. Since version 5.0, standard Swift tools have been built into macOS, iOS, tvOS, and watchOS. This integration reduces the size of apps for these platforms. Apple can also support Swift similarly on all its devices because Swift has a stable Application Binary Interface (ABI).
Cons of Swift as a Computer Language
Even though Swift isn’t perfect, it has many things to like. Many businesses and developers need clarification about switching to Swift. There are many reasons for this.
Young Language
Unlike Objective-C, Swift is only 7 years old, still considered a young language. Fundamental changes like ABI stability and better documentation have been added in recent releases. But the frequent upgrades and changes can make people worry about how well the code works with older versions.
A Small Talent Pool
Even though Swift is becoming more famous, there are fewer Swift developers than there are for other open-source languages. Because there need to be more skilled Swift writers, finding one for your project might be challenging.
Interoperability Challenges
Due to rapid updates, it may take a lot of work to find the right IDEs and third-party tools for specific tasks. Also, there have been reports of problems with grammar highlighting, Autocomplete, and refactoring for Swift in Xcode, the official Apple IDE.
Not Enough Support For Multiple Platforms
Swift works on Windows, Linux, and Apple platforms but shines in native iOS software. For cross-platform programming, alternatives like React Native, Xamarin, and Flutter may be better.
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Swift vs. Objective-C?
You can pick the best programming language based on the skills and preferences of your team. If your coders know how to utilize Objective-C, it might be easier to stick with that language. Objective-C has a long past, a large codebase, and well-known frameworks. If you’re searching for a place to stay, you’ve come to the right place. Consider your team’s situation and skills when deciding between Objective-C and Swift.
Maintenance Of An Objective-C Program
Changing your software using Swift doesn’t make sense if you need to keep an application written in Objective-C with a large code base.
Support For Older OS Versions
Swift is a brand-new language that only works with iOS 7 and macOS 10.9 or later. You will have to utilize Objective-C to make or fix applications that worked in previous versions.
Tight Deadlines
It’s tough to consider that a language as easy as English can be difficult to learn. If you are too fast for your team members to learn Swift before releasing your app, imagine using ObjC instead. Since Apple has no plans to stop improving Swift, knowing it will support you in the long run if you have the time.
Wide-Ranging Project Goals
Swift, a little young, makes it easy for smaller apps to handle upgrades. Changing your program with each version update could be challenging. As stated in the cons part, you should wait to make a long list of changes until the problem is fully fixed.
Using C And C++ Frameworks Built By Other Devs
Since Objective-C is a superset of C, here users can quickly and easily utilize C or C++ tools. Even though it’s rare to utilize only C++ files, it’s vital to recognize that Swift can’t perform this. To utilize C++ code, you must build an Objective-C or C wrapper between Swift and C++. If you don’t do this, you cannot utilize C++ code.
Are You Trying To Find A Company That Makes iOS Apps?
Swift is still young but has already had a lot of success. Well-known companies like Uber, Lyft, and Fitbit utilize Swift. With each new release, Swift gets better and fixes minor problems. Apple’s commitment to making a unified ecosystem with the same ABI across all platforms also helps Swift’s situation.
If you’re searching for a way to make your life easier, you’ve come to the right place. As a chief web design and development company, our mobile app builders and custom software developer are here to support with your app or software development.
In future, more people will likely utilize Swift, possibly making it the significant language instead of Objective-C. Business owners should prepare for this change to stay ahead of the market’s wants and still make money. So contact our mobile app development companynow!