Jeff Rock

WWDC10 Impressions

Since I’m at the airport 2 hours before the plane arrives for my 6 hour flight, I thought I’d post some quick thoughts about the week. I cannot comment about actual session content due to the NDA, so I’ll keep to overall impressions. Feel free to ask me about anything and I’ll answer as much as I’m allowed to convey.

I have been to 3 WWDC’s. The first one was the year that the iPhone was announced and where Steve Jobs made his infamous “sweet deal” pitch. 2010 was a far cry from 2007. Even though it was just as crowded as last year it felt more so. There has been some speculation that it was because the IT tracks were gone and that those folks came anyway, clogging up sessions that they would otherwise had skipped. While I’m not sure of the reason I am sure of one thing: Apple needs to do something about it. Splitting the conference might be the only option at this point to alleviate the congestion. I missed 2 or 3 sessions because the lines started 15 minutes before the announced start time and lasted 15 minutes beyond it, at which point the Apple employees turned the rest of us away. After a hike in the conference ticket price this year, there were many attendees that were none too pleased.

This WWDC was very dirty. There was a distinct lack of respect for public space. During the keynote queueing there was spilt coffee, upside down pastries and innumerable used tissues and napkins left for the maintenance crew to dispose of once everyone started moving. I caught many an attendee dropping tissues on the floor mid-stride. A fellow that I met from Mumbai explained to me that it was cultural. I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know that it was disgusting and disrespectful.

The sessions this year were just as they were last year. They tend to follow the same pattern:

• Day 1: New information and announcements.
• Day 2: A full day of pre-release info you should have read up on but were too lazy to check.
• Day 3: Beginners sessions.
• Day 4: Experts sessions.
• Day 5: Repeats of popular sessions and topics that can be tolerated whilst nursing a hangover.

The bash on Thursday night was well executed, as usual. Apple convinced OK Go to perform this year and while they were great Apple could have just played their CD on loop for 2 hours. A vast majority of the attendees wouldn’t have noticed. They are an interesting crowd to expose live music to. I heard more applause in draw-code optimization sessions than I did for OK Go. Poor guys.

So here’s the part where I tell you that i don’t think I’m going back next year. There would have to be some substantial changes to what the conference has become and I feel like it would be more efficient to send someone else going forward. I met and reconnected with plenty of folks this year, and thats always awesome. I also observed some despicable behavior from a few of the cool kids that made me question the whole deal. WWDC is always a mixed bag but this time there were a few too many black jelly beans for my taste. Your mileage may vary.