One of the biggest events held every year in the Apple world is the Worldwide Developers Conference. This year’s event is just around the corner. In fact, it starts on June 9th from Moscone West in San Francisco, California. It’s the center of the Apple universe for several weeks (similar to how the World Series of Poker is the cornerstone of the poker world). The conference website sums up the allure of the Worldwide Developers Conference: It’s “the only place you can receive technical information on these sophisticated platforms from the engineers who created them. Bring your code to the labs and work one-to-one with Apple engineers, applying development methods and best-practices you gain from sessions to enhance your application.”
The 2008 conference is sold out, so if you haven’t already signed up, you’re (unfortunately) too late. However, you can rest assured that session videos and other content will be available for sale on iTunes when the conference concludes on June 13th. There are three fundamental tracks with a full slate of curriculum for each: iPhone, Mac, and IT. Each has a lengthy number of educational sessions and interactive labs designed for developers to understand the ins and outs of the major products that Apple offers on the market today. You can expect a wealth of innovation in the future, especially given Apple’s rapidly-rising market share and constant roll-out of new technology. In fact, the brand new iPhone is expected to be announced at the conference.
Speaking of the iPhone, conference sessions include 2D Graphics and Animation, Audio Development for iPhone, Cocoa Fundamentals, Core Animation Techniques, Debugging and Profiling Your iPhone Application, Enterprise iPhone Management, Tips and Tricks for iPhone Application Development, Web Development for Safari on iPhone, Integrating iPhone with IT, iPhone Device APIs, Managing iPhone Certificates, Mastering iPhone Table Views, Preparing and Delivering Video, and Utilizing Offline Data on Safari. That’s a lot to digest. If you’re new to iPhone development, there are a variety of introductory sessions available as well, including Web Development for iPhone and Introduction to the iPhone Development Tools. You don’t have to be a whiz to get the most out of the event in San Francisco.
Labs also allow you to interact with the programmers and developers of Cocoa, Mac, and the iPhone. I can’t think of a better way to learn about programming, pitch and perfect your idea, and have an outstanding networking experience – all at the same time. Come armed with a pen, paper, and business cards. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be headed to Silicon Valley.
If you’re looking for information about Macs, a plethora of sessions are available as well. They include Accessing Contacts and Calendars on Leopard, Advanced Media Application Development, Application Printing, Building Great Java Applications, Cocoa Tips and Tricks, Core Data Tips and Tricks, Creating Widgets with Dashcode, Designing Applications with Interface Builder, Getting Started with OpenGL, Internationalizing Your Software, and Making Your Application Scriptable. Labs include focuses on Quartz 2D, FireWire, Xcode, Java, and PackageMaker. If you’re a developer who wants to learn more, you’ll be in Heaven.
Several design awards are up for grabs, with bragging rights on the line. They include iPhone Developer Showcase, Best Mac OS X Leopard Application, Best New Mac OS X Leopard Game, Best Mac OS X Leopard User Experience, Best Mac OS X Leopard Graphics and Media Application, and Best Mac OS X Leopard Student Product. There’s even a private party, which will be held at Yerba Buena Gardens.
If you haven’t registered yet for the 2008 Developers Conference, it’s too late, but make sure you mark your calendar for the next event in 2009. In the meantime, stay tuned for the latest updates from the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference.