New iOS programming language Swift unveiled

Apple has unveiled a new programming language for iOS and OSX at its Worldwide Developers Conference.

Swift is compatible with Apple’s Cocoa and Cocoa Touch APIs, and the programming language can be used alongside Objective-C code and integrated into existing apps. The company said Swift was designed to make it easier to developer apps for iPhone and iPad.

A beta version of Apple’s developer toolset XCode 6, which includes Swift, is already available for iOS and OS X Developer Program members. The final version will be made available in Autumn when iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite are released.

Developers can also grab a free guide to the Swift programming language on iTunes.

As well as Swift, Apple has also revealed new graphics API Metal, set to be released alongside iOS 8.