I was seriously, I kid you not, dreaming about golden tickets while I napped at around 4:30pm this afternoon. Tuesday I had submitted my registration to attend Apple’s WWDC 2015 conference in San Francisco (June 8-12). Acceptance (or rejection) of my submission was now up to Apple’s lottery process.
That would explain the golden ticket dreams I guess.
I awoke with one thought in my head, “Apple said to let my bank know that my card might be charged for the registration fee.”
I hadn’t done that, and I didn’t know when the bank would be closing.
I hurried to my bank. I told the teller what the deal was as best I could explain, how much would be taken out, and she said to wait while she made a note.
She looked at her screen, then looked slightly confused. She rechecked the screen. Then walked back to me.
“It looks like they’ve already taken that amount out.”
“What!?!” I cried. “Oh my gosh!! That means they chose me! I think that means they chose me. I’m going to WWDC!” I checked my email. They had processed my order.
I texted my wife. “GUESS WHAT!! Apple debited our card. I think that means I’m going!”
It seemed too good to hope for. It seemed like some kind of mistake.
Yes, I have concentrated on what this feeling would feel like all week. Yes, I put as much positive energy as possible into manifesting this. Yes, I had said many little prayers.
But now that it was real, it was beyond the joy I could have imagined.
Why the WWDC Is A Big Deal
Streamside Software’s (and by extension Jill and my) fate is entirely intertwined with Apple products. I bet big on Apple when I left my safe and secure job at Indiana University to follow my dreams of writing apps for Apple Devices.
WWDC is Apple’s annual developers conference. They will undoubtedly announce new products and new frameworks, possibly even an SDK that will allow us to write native apps for the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch is a key product in our strategy for the future.
Going to WWDC will be like drinking from the firehouse.
In years past I have been forced to wait until each day’s WWDC session videos were posted the next day to see what the attendees were seeing and hearing.
I took notes, started a moleskine just to keep track of new technologies, and I dreamed about being there in person, meeting the Apple employees who were building new products, asking questions, talking with other developers, hanging out, showing off our little app.
Last year was an incredible learning experience just following along. Being there in person will be just plain intense.
Last year they introduced the Swift language. It was a major new way of developing iOS and OS X software. I watched the developers’ faces as they stared in shock. What an awesome new way to program!
What will they release this year? There are rumors, but I’ll not speculate. Maybe I don’t want to know.
Maybe when the camera pans to the audience this year, one of those shocked faces will be mine!