title: Placement of the asterisk in Objective-C
body: <p>I have just begun learning Objective-C, coming from a VB .Net and C# .Net background.  I understand pointer usage, but in Objective-C examples I see the asterisk placed in several different places, and search as I might, I have not been able to find an answer as to why this is.  Every search I try turns up all kinds of explanations about pointers (which I really don't need), but not a single mention of the reasons/effects of the different placements of the asterisk.  Here are some examples I've seen:</p>
  
  <pre><code>NSString *string;
  NSString * string;
  (NSString *) string;
  NSString* string;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>What do these different positions of the asterisk mean?  I'm sure it's a simple answer but it's frustrating not being able to find it in any of the Apple tutorial and reference documentation or online so far.</p>
  
  <p>Can someone please end my misery and answer this perplexing question?  Thanks!</p>