Why attend WWDC?
I would go to WWDC if I knew there would be info about an iPhone OS device in a new screen size/form factor. Nothing else is that urgent.
That would be very important news for iPhone developers. But I’d still have a hard time justifying the trip.
I’m curious to hear from other developers on this who have attended WWDC. For me to go, it would cost:
- $1600 for a WWDC ticket.
- 4-5 nights in a hotel. No idea. Ballpark of $700?
- A plane ticket from JFK, about $450.
- Transportation and expenses out there. Ballpark of $350 if I don’t rent a car and eat reasonably frugally.
- A week off from work.
Total cost of attending: at least $3,100.
I was able to make my iPhone app reasonably without attending last year’s WWDC, even though it was an all-new platform with an all-new API in a language I didn’t know. And now I know enough that some of the WWDC sessions might be too basic to be worthwhile. I’m sure I can continue to get by without actually attending. Furthermore, if I really need some help, I can buy the set of instructional session videos a few weeks later for about $500, a fraction of the cost of actually going there.
I’m sure it’s valuable, but is it $3,100-valuable for an independent developer doing this in his free time? I highly doubt it, but I’d love to hear opinions from people like me who have attended.
There are a lot of other ways I could spend $3,100 that would directly improve my app and increase its sales.
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