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To be honest, that was really annoying. I've become a minimalist in regards to personal property, and the last thing I need is another gadget -- I'm already bu

by donw 15y ago

To be honest, that was really annoying. I've become a minimalist in regards to personal property, and the last thing I need is another gadget -- I'm already busily cutting down on what I own, to the point where my fiancee is getting a little annoyed. It's just more cognitive load to manage that much stuff. Is a Galaxy Tab bundled in with the admission that much of a draw for people, or is this more a way to offload inventory?

georgemcbay 15y ago
It isn't just about one gadget, at past IOs attendees have walked away with like 4+ gadgets depending upon the talks they registered for, with the resale value of those gadgets far exceeding the ticket price to get in, especially when the gadgets are new on the market and hard to find. For the organizers, giving away gadgets makes some sense in that if you're doing a deep dive into how to code for XYZ, it is nice if you know everyone in attendance has a default configured XYZ. I've tried to register for IO in the past and never made it past the always-overloaded servers... this year, I didn't even bother... I'm sorry for those who tried and didn't make it but glad I didn't waste my time. Anyway, if the conference is still selling out in 20 minutes, I guess this means they can bump the price by another $500 or so next year and see how it goes.
abraham 15y ago
I think the gadget gifts is more about making sure developers have the hardware to develop for. If I don't have an Android device there is next to zero chance I will write a Android app.
- estel 15y ago
  But there are enough Android developers that I/O seems better targeted at existing devs who already have the devices.
  - abraham 15y ago
    To an extent. Last year not many people had tablets or Chromebooks and the gadgets are usually top of the line or running an OS that is no consumer ready devices are running yet.
- huggyface 15y ago
  If I don't have an Android device there is next to zero chance I will write a Android app. If you can't stomach the minimal cost of Android devices, you also aren't going to write an Android app. Barriers to entry have seldom been a problem (just look at Apple -- they neither give out free iPads or iPhones, or the Mac computer stack necessary to develop for it).

by donw 15y ago

georgemcbay 15y ago

It isn't just about one gadget, at past IOs attendees have walked away with like 4+ gadgets depending upon the talks they registered for, with the resale value of those gadgets far exceeding the ticket price to get in, especially when the gadgets are new on the market and hard to find. For the organizers, giving away gadgets makes some sense in that if you're doing a deep dive into how to code for XYZ, it is nice if you know everyone in attendance has a default configured XYZ. I've tried to register for IO in the past and never made it past the always-overloaded servers... this year, I didn't even bother... I'm sorry for those who tried and didn't make it but glad I didn't waste my time. Anyway, if the conference is still selling out in 20 minutes, I guess this means they can bump the price by another $500 or so next year and see how it goes.

abraham 15y ago

I think the gadget gifts is more about making sure developers have the hardware to develop for. If I don't have an Android device there is next to zero chance I will write a Android app.

estel 15y ago
But there are enough Android developers that I/O seems better targeted at existing devs who already have the devices.
- abraham 15y ago
  To an extent. Last year not many people had tablets or Chromebooks and the gadgets are usually top of the line or running an OS that is no consumer ready devices are running yet.
huggyface 15y ago
If I don't have an Android device there is next to zero chance I will write a Android app. If you can't stomach the minimal cost of Android devices, you also aren't going to write an Android app. Barriers to entry have seldom been a problem (just look at Apple -- they neither give out free iPads or iPhones, or the Mac computer stack necessary to develop for it).