Introducing Xcode 4 - Xcode 4 - page 19

Comparing iOS and OS X Development
Although Xcode supports OS X and iOS development equally and it can be used to develop apps for both the
iOS and Mac App Stores, there are significant differences between the two platforms.
Developing for OS X
OS X development in Xcode 4 is build-and-go. There are no restrictions on development, testing, or distribu-
tion. You can create applications that run in a debugging environment on your own Mac and package them as
applications that you can run independently, sell from a website, or prepare for network distribution. You can
also create Mac apps for the App Store—but this is one development option, and not an obligation. Figure 1.14
shows a simple OS X application using a template as a starting point.
NOTE
Xcode doesn't include network deployment features. But it does create application binaries that can be handed to
network deployment tools.
Earlier versions of Xcode supported universal binary development, which was backward-compatible with
PowerPC hardware. Although OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard was the first Intel-only version of OS X, Xcode supports
universal binaries for Mac development and can still be used to develop applications for PowerPC targets. It