Cider can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be.
The way I make cider is as follows: I go to the farmer's market during apple season (i.e. autumn) and buy unpasteurized apple cider from a farmer. I bring it home, throw it into a sanitized carboy, and add white labs cider yeast (WLP775). It's always turned out well, but I understand that some people take cider more seriously than I do.