Good question, @rrhoover. I've seriously trouble with answering your question, because I actually don't know myself why started out and began coding, because before I started coding (4 years ago) I didn't know anything about computers, programming languages or Apple. Well, probably, my first iPod Touch was the start. After a few weeks I got one, I became more and more interested in how iOS worked and how you could make apps for it. I actually started out with no knownledge of anything, and tried to create an app. Due to a lot of attention in the media (especially in Holland) because I was so young, I kept coding and taught myself all kind of programming languages. I began to enjoy it, because I knew how to make an app from scratch. And when I applied for a scholarship and met tons of important Apple persons, that feeling only became stronger. Of course, in those 4 years, I met a lot of awesome people, these also convinced me to keep coding.
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@tomgekeerd@rrhoover I'm so jealous of you! I started programming HTML when I was 11 by picking apart websites on Geocities and making my own terrible animated GIF filled sites. I had the advantage of being able to view source, read, try to understand, copy & paste, and then maybe come up with something reasonable to look at. You're very talented and should continue this journey of learning and building you're on. I thought programming would just be a hobby when I was a kid and didn't take it seriously until I was already in my 20s. I can't wait to see what else you come up with.
I'd like to encourage you to explore the iOS Developer Portal's code samples. Go download a few dozen projects, compile them, put them on your phone, and just play around. Part of building or coding is knowing what tools you have in your toolbox. I found this a very valuable way to learn what the iOS platform was capable of doing.
Great work :)
Hi everyone!
My name is Tom de Ruiter, and I’m a 14 year old iOS developer from the Netherlands. This summer I’ve been one of 350 WWDC Scholarship recipients that could join the biggest Apple Developer Conference in San Francisco. By making an app about yourself, what you are currently up to, and what you would like to do when you are grown up, young, teen iOS developers could have a chance to win a free ticket (1600$) for the annual Apple Conference where Apple VP’s would unveil their newest software, and, sometimes, hardware.
Here, at WWDC, they unveiled their newest, and first, Apple Watch software update, watchOS 2. I’ve learned a lot about it, and all of its new features for developers, in this week in America. Finally back home, when I finally got my Apple Watch delivered, I came to the discovery that the default phone app on the Apple Watch didn’t include a keypad to call people that are not in your contacts list. At the WWDC, I’ve learnt about watchOS 2 and how to make apps for it, and started working on a new idea.
The last couple of weeks/months, I’ve trying to change my idea to reality, now with Watch Keypad. Watch Keypad allows you to call and text, everyone directly from your Apple Watch on your wrist, with a simple keypad, without having them in your contacts list.
As you would have expect, I’ve made Watch Keypad mainly out of own frustration, because I really liked the idea of calling from your wrist. The app itself is simple, and is just focusing on one thing; calling and texting from a keypad.
May you have feedback, or have just something to tell, feel free to leave a comment below or see our FAQ: www.watchkeypad.com/FAQ
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Watch Keypad
