Apple Launches iOS 7 Tech Talks For Developers In SF, NYC, Tokyo, Shanghai, Berlin And London
Apple has just announced a series of Tech Talks for developers building apps for iOS 7. This is a relatively common occurrence as Apple likes to get evangelists out to talk to developers and help …
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple is reprising a familiar move from its developer-relations playbook: after shipping a major iOS release, it sends evangelists on the road rather than waiting for the next WWDC. The company ran a similar world tour for iOS 5 from November 2011 into January, and held an invite-only iOS developer summit back in October 2010, so the format itself is established — what stands out this cycle is the footprint.
First-order effects
- Developers in San Francisco, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai, Berlin and London get direct access to Apple engineers and evangelists for guidance on adapting apps to iOS 7's redesigned interface and APIs — help that previously required a WWDC ticket.
- Registration demand in the three international cities will test how much unmet appetite exists for Apple developer support outside the US.
Second-order effects
- Regional app ecosystems around Tokyo, Shanghai and Berlin get a talent-and-quality boost, since better access to Apple's own guidance shortens the rework cycle for local developers competing in the App Store.
- Rival platforms' developer-outreach programs face an implicit benchmark: Apple is funding in-person evangelism at city scale, raising expectations for what third-party developer relations must look like.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern from the 2010 summit through the 2011 world tour to this year's talks holds, Apple is institutionalizing a standing global developer-relations cadence between WWDCs — deepening platform lock-in by making Apple expertise a regular presence in key regional markets rather than an annual pilgrimage to Cupertino.
The trend: Apple is turning developer outreach into a permanent, globally distributed program that follows each major iOS release, binding regional app ecosystems more tightly to the platform.