WWDC2020 to be Virtual Only – My Take

At long last, Apple joins the plethora of other companies announcing updated conference plans. They had but no choice. Unsurprisingly, Apple announcement offers a twist by presenting this as a new experience, like if from now on, this is the only way WWDC will take place. I can’t wait to see how different the event will be. I guess Apple will push a new version of the WWDC.app in due time.

Most people still think real contacts are important in such event but let’s face it, times are changing. My hope is that COVID-19 will make us reconsider the way we work, the way we meet. All the technologies are available to enable this. On top of that, this will be good for the environment too! The last holdout is management and mentalities. And, to be frank, many of these events are pretty much low value-added. And consider our countless meetings, most of them could have been skipped. The following tweet is spot on.

In Canada, the Quebec government just announced schools and university closure for two weeks. One of my kids goes to a college where the iPad is at the center of the learning experience. This week, they pushed Google’s Hangout so they can have virtual classes while we go through this ordeal.

One last word, I wouldn’t be surprised if the rumoured upcoming March event is virtual too. Mark my words.