Tim Cook won’t be at AltConf 2018, but then attendees of this alternative Apple developer conference will pay a wee bit less. The official WWDC is $1,599, while AltConf is free.
It will be held in San Jose near the official conference, and on the same dates as the WWDC: June 4-7.
AltConf 2018 will hold its traditional Keynote and State of the Union presentations on June 4. After that, the organizers promise “3 packed days with content spread over 2 tracks.”
Exactly what will be covered is still emerging. AltConf has out a call for speakers, and volunteers can submit proposals until April 28. This is what a “community-driven” event really means.
There will also be a couple of rooms of community labs where attendees can get advice and discuss ideas from their peers.
It’s all cool, man
Not surprisingly, the Alternative Developer Conference has a much more open and relaxed atmosphere than WWDC. It’s been going on for years, and back in 2015 Jeff Kelley, author of Developing for Apple Watch, told Cult of Mac, “It has a lot more community feel, where it’s not getting talked down to from the lectern and Apple, [instead] you’re getting talked to by your peers.”
Mr. Kelley continued “Everybody there is kind of on the same foot. Especially because it’s free.”
AltConf 2018 is free… mostly
While it AltConf requires no payment, donations are welcome. And the conference only guarantees seats for those who pay $300. Everyone else is on a first-come first-serve basis. There are 900 seats spread over two theaters, so it’s up to potential attendees to decide if they feel lucky.
AltConf 2018 is booked into the San Jose Marriott, which is directly next to the San Jose Convention Center where Apple’s official World Wide Developer Conference will be held.
Photo: AltConf
