Integrating Networking and Web Services

Abstract

The iPhone ushered in a new era of always-connected apps. Nearly every iOS app in the App Store uses the network connection in some way, whether it#x2019;s to load graphics, post high scores to a Game Center leaderboard, or just report analytics data to its developer. At the same time, however, as developers, we must be judicious about how much data we use, what we send, and how we send it. Many customers are not on expensive, unlimited-data plans—especially those outside of the United States—and therefore won#x2019;t appreciate an app that downloads a few hundred megabytes of images at launch. Understanding how to use the networking functionality of these devices is a fundamental requirement of a Cocoa Touch developer.