Am I getting obsolete by not using XCode 4

Question

I'm essentially a one-man shop and keeping up with all the new stuff coming out of Apple is daunting. I was pretty good at iOS 3.1.3 and 3.2 when 4.0 came out. Now there is 4.2 and 4.3, and XCode 4, not to mention iPads. So I guess my question is: how do other devs prioritize what new features they learn and try to master?

Answer 1

As far as the SDK goes, get in the habit of reading the release notes that come out with each version. They tell you what what's new and what has changed. You don't need to master every API as soon as it comes out, but you do need to know what new options you have and what has been deprecated. Later, when you want to use one of those new features, you can spend a little time reading about it and figuring out how to use it.

The switch from Xcode 3 to Xcode 4 is bigger and more immediate. You'll want to read enough of the Xcode 4 transition guide to orient yourself enough that you can start working. Xcode 4 puts almost everything in one window that has lots of different panes. It's mostly the same stuff that's in Xcode 3, but it takes a little time to get used to the new layout. Go back to the transition guide and the Xcode 4 user guide when you have the need -- it's hard (for me, anyway) to absorb it all just by reading; experiencing problems and solving them helps it stick.