Awarding Anvitha and showcasing her as the youngest iOS developer may be a marketing strategy by Apple and Cook but it does not hide the fact that Anvitha is doing what even 30 year old find difficult. What makes 9-year-old Anvitha Vijay from Australia different from millions of coders out there is the fact that she can code better than most adults. In an interview with USA Today, Anvitha said that she’s got a long way to go when it comes to coding. Her first app is called Smartkins Animals which teaches young children about animals. Her app had already been downloaded a few hundred times ahead of her interview. Anvitha started coding at the age of 7 when others are still struggling to find their physics and maths correct. She says she learnt coding with the help of YouTube and instructional videos posted online. She created her first App to help her sister identify animals. Anvitha used Xcode to create her app and not Swift which is Apples new programming language. She used her mom’s phone and uploaded the app under her mother’s name since she’s under the mandatory age requirement of 13 years, that would allow her to create her own iTunes account. Anvitha says that her new project is a new iOS app for students. Called GoalsHi, it’s supposed to help students get more confidence in the classroom. Anvitha has moved from Xcode to Swift for this app. “I want to make a difference in people’s lives through technology” – that’s the message on her business card, and Vijay might have a bright future in this business. When asked what her favorite iPhone app is, Anvitha proved she’s getting the hang of the business. “Besides mine?” she asked, before naming an iOS app she enjoys. The full interview with the youngest coder at WWDC 2016 is embedded below.
