I am planning to create an iPhone apps version for our online webapps. I am still new to iPhone apps development so I don't know whether to choose iPhone native or a webapps that runs on iPhone browser.
The requirement is actually pretty basic. The iPhone apps need to submit data and get data from the database that is also used by the webapps. User would have the same access to the webapps, only I want this specific to iPhone, as the user experience would be different using a webapps and iPhone apps. I am also interested to sell the application on Apple store.
Based on your experience, what would be better for this kind of requirement, iPhone native or webapps? What are the drawbacks building a native iPhone apps and webapps that runs on iPhone browser? Also, am I only limited to Objective-C to build a native iPhone apps? Or is there any other framework for that?
Please be gentle on me, I am not starting a flamewar.
If you want to have an app on the iTunes App Store you must write the app in Objective-C. Here is a quote from the iPhone OS 4.0 developer agreement as pulled from Daring Fireball. I have highlighted the most relevant section.
3.3.1 — Applications may only use Documented APIs in the manner prescribed by Apple and must not use or call any private APIs. Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited).
This of course does not apply to OS 3.1 or 3.2 and it is currently unknown if once OS 4.0 comes out Apple will retroactively remove any existing applications that have made use of such tools. In theory if you manage to get the app out the door before 4.0 comes out and you get lucky then perhaps you could make use of something like PhoneGap, but it seems like a really big gamble to spend time using those kinds of tools at this point.
That said, Objective-C really isn't that hard to learn, it's primary syntax is [someObject doSomething]; or [someObject doSomethingWith:thisObject]; I have very little knowledge of web development so I can't speak to it's merits or disadvantages, but it you have everything set in a web app you may want to lean toward either the hybrid option mentioned above or going purely web based.