Question

I think the question is clear enough but still – what’s the difference between:

NSString *string = @"Hello world!";

and

NSString *string = [[NSString alloc] initWithString:@"Hello world!"];

Let me know if this already answers it.

Answer 1

NSString *string = [[NSString alloc] initWithString:@"Hello world!"];

Per cocoa as cocoa naming convention, You create an object using a method whose name begins with “alloc”, “new”, “copy”, or “mutableCopy”. That means you own the string above, hence you’re responsible to release the object.

NSString *string = @"Hello World";

The line above is a string literal / constant, you don’t alloc it or release it. You don’t own this object.