Returning to its roots is Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which is going back to San Jose over its home of San Francisco of the past few years, with 2017 set to be the biggest yet.
At Apple's WWDC site, we see the following text:
"Technology alone is not enough.
"Technology must intersect with the liberal arts and the humanities, to create new ideas and experiences that push society forward. This summer we bring together thousands of brilliant minds representing many diverse perspectives, passions, and talents to help us change the world."
So, that's what Apple promises is coming, but first, a little history – and a chance to bash the Apple bashers.
It’s 10 years since the iPhone, but well over 30 years since the Mac. In that time, Apple has had its share of ups and downs, and has even had its share of chief executives.
Of course, Apple is now one of the biggest technology companies on the planet, despite many predictions of its impending doom, predictions which stupidly continue being made to this very day.
Indeed, despite being the world’s No.1 smartwatch seller, we see clueless and pathetic pundits desperately trying to take Apple down by suggesting its watch sales aren’t all that. We see critics claiming Apple’s MacBook Pro with Touch Bar hasn’t sold well when Apple itself says it is its most popular MacBook Pro yet.
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We see all kinds of moronically stupid claims about Apple that would make blood shoot from your eyes in disgust at the extreme and blatant bias against the company, but Apple responds in the best way it can – by producing record breaking quarters, by selling more of most of its products and services than it ever has before, and by even doing well when it supposedly does badly.
An example of this is so-called falling iPad sales. Sure, they’re falling, but they still outsell Macs by a considerable margin!
So much for a bad news story!
One yearly example of Apple’s ongoing success — and a glimpse into its future — is its yearly worldwide developer conference, known as WWDC.
This year will be the company’s 28th such conference, and over the past few years, not only has the conference sold out completely, but Apple has had to sell tickets in a lottery style system to ensure as fair a distribution of tickets as possible.
Due to Apple’s status as the owner of the world's most advanced mobile computing devices, and the owner of the world’s most profitable ecosystem of first- and third-party apps and accessories, it should come as no surprise to see Apple describe WWDC as the host of "the world’s most talented developer community".
Apple says the 2017 WWDC will be held at the McEnery Convention Centre in San Jose, and says the conference "will inspire developers from all walks of life to turn their passions into the next great innovations and apps that customers use every day across iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Mac".
Apple explains that, each year during WWDC, "millions of talented developers around the world learn about Apple's breakthrough platform technologies ranging from programming languages like Swift to breakthrough developer APIs like SiriKit, HomeKit, HealthKit and CarPlay".
We are also told that "these Apple technologies inspire developers to continue creating incredible experiences for every aspect of customers’ lives and improve the way they manage their smart homes, cars, health and more for over one billion active Apple devices", and that, as per usual, WWDC 2017 will also give developers "access to more than 1000 Apple engineers with opportunities to meet and engage with them throughout the conference".
One advantage of moving WWDC from San Francisco to San Jose is the fact San Jose is "located just minutes from Apple’s new headquarters in Cupertino".
As noted Apple watcher John Gruber notes on the topic, this is nicely convenient for Apple — and with much more affordable hotel options for WWDC attendees, it’s good for attendees too — even if they might miss out on some of the San Francisco hightlights.
And while the allure of San Francisco will have to either be enjoyed before or after the week of the conference, Apple notes that the McEnery Convention Centre "will be the hub for thousands of attendees with great hotel, restaurant and entertainment options, all within walking distance", while "in addition to the keynote address, get-togethers, sessions and labs for developers, Apple is working with the city of San Jose and local businesses to celebrate the return of WWDC with very special experiences around San Jose throughout the week".
So, if you want to apply to buy tickets for WWDC, you can’t do it yet – you’ll have to wait until the US spring, which for us in the Southern Hemisphere encompasses both autumn and winter.
That said, if you miss out on tickets, or just don’t have the time to go, you can still experience WWDC, as it will be "live-streamed through the Apple Developer website and on the WWDC app for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV".
