WWDC Decompression

Following the close of WWDC, I headed off to Napa for a little rest and relaxation before heading back to the paying job and full-bore development on the side. My wife and I stayed at The Old World Inn in Napa and spent a couple of days sight-seeing and wine tasting. It's been a nice interlude and given me a few minutes to place WWDC in perspective.

Firstly, I think the switch to Intel will be good for the platform and still has some surprises for folks as the complete product roadmap and plan are revealed. Speculation on what things Intel has in store or the possibility of a multiple CPU product mix segregating the high end and mobile machines could provide interest.

Second, WWDC was a mixed bag this year. The technical session were generally very good, but there were things that left me wondering about the overall value, as well as the commitment by Apple.

Technical presentations. It felt that the first two days were rehash of last years presentations and documentation reviews. It did not seem to reach a real "meat" stage until Wednesday (and for some topics Thursday).

Hands-On Sessions. I liked most of these, but several seemed more like a code walk-through as opposed to an instructional session. Granted, it's hard to cram as much detail as people might like into a 90 minutes session for 200+ developers, but then "Hands-on" implies a little more than a code review.

Keynote. Two hours scheduled, fifty-five minutes presented, and it was mostly confirming a rumor. A keynote by Steve Jobs has certain expectations. This did not live up to those expectations. Enough said.

Developer Systems. I get to spend $500 for my membership and $999 to lease a machine to make my code run on the next generation Mac, and a year from now, I get nothing? I'm better off financially to purchase a PPC machine that I can continue to use and operate for through 2007. Also, if you're going to announce this offer, have the details worked out so questions can be answered.

Campus Bash. The logistics stunk. I don't know how else to say it and remain polite. I spent just long enough in line for the Apple Company Store that I missed the music (The Wallflowers) and the food. By the time I made it inside after purchasing a few souvenirs, two of the three hours had passed, the music was over and the food was gone. I, like most shoppers, purchased Apple paraphernalia that could easily have been at a booth at the conference.

General Care and Feeding. It felt that wherever costs could be cut in terms of refreshments, conference materials, or attendee chachkis', they were. Many people I discussed this with had similar opinions. Overall, price remained the same, but quality declined. Personally, I expect more from Apple in the regard.

Finally, I do want to say that I'm glad I went to the conference, but I don't know if I'll attend next year. I think there might be better places to spend my money.