Swift is trying to borrow the best elements of moderately newer popular languages like Python and Javascript. “These are just more modern, colloquial languages that more developers today understand. They are easier to learn, and things don’t break as easily in them,” says Chung.
Compared to the more complex Objective-C, the drawback of these simpler languages is performance — but Apple says Swift will mean a no-compromise solution. “Swift seems like it finally gives the developers in the iOS world the ability to do the things you have been able to do in the scripting world but without the penalties,” says Daniel Doubrovkine, the head of engineering at Artsy. “That’s if it delivers on its promises, and others have promised and failed. But the fact that Apple is behind it gives me a lot of hope its the real deal.”