

Ask HN: Is it wise to learn OS X rather than staying as an iOS developer? - alpha_beta

I have two years of experience as an iOS developer. I have now two opportunities: continue working as an iOS developer by adding major new features to my existing apps, or work on an OS X app from scratch. I think working on the OS X app would be great because I would learn more than in iOS at this point. However, I have the impression that there are more opportunities for iOS developers and Apple will eventually merge these 2 OSs.
Is there an obvious choice? Is there anything you would add to my analysis, regarding these two possibilities? Career wise, is it more promising to say I've worked with both iOS and OS X or would only iOS be better?
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xvolter
It is highly unlikely Apple will merge the two OSes within the next
foreseeable future. Give it 10 to 20 years and that may happen, but even then,
so many things would have changed everything you know now will be considered
dated - just like creating shell scripts in Perl is considered dated.

The problem is the two operating systems are designed for different purposes,
extremely different purposes. One is designed for mobile devices, to receive
primarily touch driven events, and works off an extremely small hardware base.
OS X, Apple's laptop and desktop operating system, is designed for many more,
much more intensive things - relying a lot more on things you would not find
on a mobile device, such as file management, users, permissions, terminals,
third-party installable applications, process management, and all the things
that come with Apple's graphics engines that so many people seem to like.

Overall, the chance to create new desktop software that will survive the test
of time is limited. Within the next few years it's far more likely you will
see intensive desktop applications go to simpler and easier to use web
applications. Starting a new desktop app currently may prove to be a waste of
time, depending on what it is.

Mobile apps will be around easily for the next 5 to 15 years, as the general
population will still be growing the percentage of people who have
smartphones, who use mobile apps, and therefore the demand for new mobile apps
will increase.

Personally, if I had the choice, I'd work on mobile apps more. I myself do a
lot of Android development, trying to avoid developing specifically for iOS
devices. You may consider learning Android SDK to grow your horizons, or even
the new BlackBerry one - which I read somewhere is offering a guaranteed
$10,000 for any Blackberry-specific new app created for the first year.
Obviously 10k in one year isn't talking about a huge jackpot, but that may get
you interested to know that at MINIMUM you will earn 10k from Blackberry's
application marketplace next year.

However, at the same time, I work with web applications more than I do mobile
applications, and the only growing demand I see for desktop applications are
in integrating web services more deeply with an operating system and video
games (which honestly, never stops growing the demand for). So if your desktop
app is one of those, go with with that hands down.

If you're looking at taking on a paying job developing a desktop application
for Mac OS X versus working for yourself on your own mobile applications -
work for yourself as long as you can. Trust me, I used to have a few semi-
popular Android apps, made enough to keep a stable lively hood, then took a
job to get a little extra money, within about two months of not having the
time to commit my mobile apps dropped, I went from a peak of 15k a month to
now roughly 800 a month in mobile app income - which removes my option of
working for myself until I stabilize that again. It is incredibly difficult to
do so however, when balancing a full time job and having the desire to work
for yourself again. I now know never to make that mistake again. Career wise I
would have been far happier earning a little less but working for myself, on
my own schedule, than ever working a 9-5 job.

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mchannon
Based on Apple's latest overtures, OS X is becoming iOS far more than the
reverse.

That said, any code and library base, be it Apple or otherwise, has a shelf
life. It will eventually be replaced, just like the hardware it runs on. That
said, there's still a need for good OS X apps today and well into the future.
If they EOL'd it tomorrow, things'd be different.

2 years' experience as an iOS developer sounds just about as impressive as 3
years' experience. May as well get some breadth, but most of all, you might as
well do what you enjoy doing.

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eduardordm
I work with both. You will not have any problem working with OS X. Some APIs
incredibly similar in most kind of applications. I would even calling
'learning' a bit of a stretch. You will pretty much just acknowledge, not
learn (in a broader meaning of the word).

Career wise, It will matter only if who is hiring you don't understand how
similar iOS an OS X development really is.

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OafTobark
Both

