Reporter's Notebook - WWDCville, The Final Countdown

by , 1:15 PM EDT, June 13th, 2008

As WWDC winds down, I am reminded why I go to WWDC. The reasons apply to project managers who must decide, every year, who in their organization gets to go to WWDC.

There are many reasons to attend WWDC, and they go beyond the obvious. Understanding the non-obvious reasons is important for both the programmers and the managers who send them.

The obvious reason, of course, is to learn how to develop with Apple technologies, learn about Apple's direction in code development and debug/perfect that new or shipping code. That's what WWDC is all about, and it does a great job.

The development labs were bigger than ever this year, and I estimate that any developer, even one-person companies, can have the chance to sit down with an Apple engineer and work through issues in their Mac or iPhone code. WWDC has taken this service more and more seriously lately, and it's a great sign, especially in light of the iPhone popularity.

However, after my 15th WWDC, I am reflecting on other reasons that I attend. I don't write code for a living anymore, but that doesn't mean WWDC isn't worthwhile.

Of course, all the sessions except the keynote are under NDA, so I can't go into technical details -- though that would be a lot of fun and our readers would learn a lot of cool things. On the other hand, having the background of what Apple is doing affords tremendous insight into what Apple is up to -- even if I can't write about the details. It makes me a better reporter and writer on all things Apple.

Another thing that WWDC does is that it gives some of us on the TMO staff a chance to meet developers, learn about their products and their current state of mind. We'll be doing more of this next year. Providing in-depth coverage of those fabulous products we write about is what TMO is all about.

WWDC inspires me every year as I find out what's really cool and what Apple people are thinking. There is a culture within Apple such that emerging trends, tools, websites, technologies and consensus thoughts are on display during the sessions. I can't tell you how many times in the last 16 years I have been exposed to a technology+website+underlying culture via Apple engineers in their 20s. This is the pulse of Apple, and being exposed to it on a regular basis keeps one moving forward intellectually. Thought leaders emerge from WWDC after a week.

Every year, after WWDC, I get excited about engaging in some new project. They don't always come to fruition when I get back to the daily routine, but sometimes they do. This year, I have something in mind for a Macworld 2009 presentation, and what I've learned and the Apple people I've spoken with is really going to help.

Finally, there is a tremendous amount of group energy that emerges from 5,200 really smart people getting together. You meet people, you scheme, you catch up with old friends and find out what they're up to, you chat with developers who have great ideas, and Stump The Experts keeps you jazzed and immersed in Apple culture. The sum of all that energy refreshes the spirit and creates a calling to excellence and exciting new things.

By the way, during Stump, Mark Harlan took a titanium spork in hand and blinked.

These are the intangibles of WWDC. If your primary purpose is to support your company's product coding efforts, WWDC will achieve all your goals, especially now that the lab sessions have grown so large and access to Apple engineers is so easy.

However, over the years, you'll find that the intangibles also play an important role. That's why, in many cases, men and women who don't seem to have an obvious, first-blush compelling justification for going should go anyway. Wise project managers will come to understand that if they don't already.