Starting from 1983, Apple annually holds a conference for developers on their platforms — Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. This year, Open Media’s lead designer Sergey managed to attend WWDC, which he decided to tell about in this article.

Sergey will share what’s needed to participate in the conference, how to get an invitation, how everything is organized there, and what treats are served to conference participants in the café.

How to Get an Invitation

I must say that Apple presentations have always been something special and impressive to me, and I’ve studied their website and guides inside and out.

As soon as I saw the event announcement, I didn’t hesitate to submit an application and immediately forgot about it. But when I received an invitation in response, I was very surprised!

The application submission mechanics this year were simple:

1. You need to have an active developer account.
2. You need to make it into the application window, which lasts about a week and opens after the official event announcement.
3. Fill out a simple form and wait for Apple to randomly choose who to invite to the event.

Next, you need to confirm participation by a specific day and time. I hesitated for a long time because I had neither a visa nor the slightest idea of how to get one in time, and most importantly — for some reason I was convinced that due to post-COVID measures, the presentation would be online, and I would just fly to watch TV in the store at the entrance to Apple Park.

I hesitated until the last hour when I needed to confirm participation, but thanks to my wife Ksyusha and colleagues who supported and convinced me to at least try.

Visa

What was confusing was that Apple didn’t send any official letter or invitation that could be attached to visa documents.

I wrote them a letter and decided: if they respond, then I definitely need to go. A couple of days later I received a response and an official document from Esther Hare (Senior Director, Developer Marketing Worldwide Developer Relations), in which she confirmed that they were inviting me to the event and would contribute to expedited visa processing.

At the visa interview, they didn’t even ask me about the conference, but it was still nice to receive a response on official letterhead: I immediately felt that the company treats its developer-contributors with care.

The visa was approved, and everything went very friendly and quickly. We picked up our passports a couple of days before departure, while trying to find budget tickets.

Very grateful to Sasha and Mitya for prompt help and a tip about Google Flights: the service is very fast and gives combinations that you won’t find on Aviasales or Skyscanner.

Conference Day: There Was a Feeling of Belonging and Excitement

Flying in the day before the conference wasn’t the best decision. And for some reason I was always sure that jet lag was something formal, since I had never flown so far before.

On the conference day, we woke up at almost four in the morning, but we calmly got ready and even went for coffee and donuts at some very colorful café from the times of the first season of Twin Peaks, no doubt. The town where we stayed is called Santa Clara and is about a twenty-minute drive from Apple Park.

We arrived quite early, around 7 AM, and there was already a small queue. But everything was very organized: they checked documents, gave out badges, and distributed some promotional materials.

Inside Apple Park

The campus itself is stunning. Everything is thought out to the smallest detail — from the landscaping to the architecture. The main ring-shaped building really does look impressive, and the café where they fed us throughout the day deserves special mention.

The presentation itself was the same one that was streamed online, but being there in person gave it a completely different feeling. You could feel the energy of the room, see the reactions of other developers, and experience that special Apple atmosphere that’s hard to describe.

Everything was thought out to the smallest detail: from the comfortable seating to the perfect acoustics. Even the volunteers, who seemed to be directly solving engineering problems and organizing the process itself, were impressive.

Then there was a small snack in the form of popcorn, fruits and other snacks, and the awarding of Apple Design Awards winners.

The Keynote Experience

The keynote was held in the Steve Jobs Theater, which is located at the highest point of Apple Park. The building itself is architectural perfection — minimal, elegant, and completely focused on the content being presented.

Key Announcements

The main announcements of this WWDC were:

• iOS 17 with new messaging features and interactive widgets
• macOS Sonoma with new screensavers and enhanced Safari
• Vision Pro — Apple’s entry into spatial computing
• Mac Studio and Mac Pro with M2 chips

But honestly, everyone was waiting for one thing — the Vision Pro announcement. And when Tim Cook finally said those words, the entire theater erupted.

Vision Pro: First Impressions

What struck me most about the Vision Pro presentation wasn’t just the technology itself, but how Apple positioned it. They didn’t call it VR or AR — it’s “spatial computing.” This framing immediately sets it apart from everything else on the market.

The demo videos they showed were incredibly polished, as you’d expect from Apple. But what impressed me more was the confidence with which they presented a $3,499 device. Only Apple could announce a product at that price point and have people genuinely excited about it.

Behind the Scenes

After the keynote, we had access to various labs and sessions. These were much more technical and focused on specific development topics. The Apple engineers running these sessions were incredibly knowledgeable and patient with questions.

The Labs Experience

The hands-on labs were where the real magic happened. You could:

• Get one-on-one help with your apps
• Ask questions directly to Apple engineers
• See new APIs in action
• Get feedback on your design and implementation choices

I spent most of my time in the design labs, discussing interface patterns and getting feedback on some of our projects at Open Media.

Meeting Fellow Developers

One of the unexpected benefits was meeting developers from around the world. The diversity was incredible — from indie app developers to teams from major tech companies, all united by their passion for creating great software.

Our founder Slava at the beginning of his career was also involved in interface design, which greatly influenced the culture and quality of design of our products.

Almost eight years after our acquaintance, I still don’t stop marveling at his sense of aesthetics and attention to detail, without which I might never have been able to become a designer and especially learn to make complex interfaces simple. I hope in a couple of years we’ll also be able to come for an award, for example, with an app for Waveroom or LALAL.AI.

Here’s a small bonus for lovers of interesting UI solutions and attention to detail.

Steve Jobs Theater

As I tried asking volunteers where I could see the new glasses, no one knew anything. There was nothing in the official event schedule either. But at 6:00 PM there was a special evening event marked.

I, of course, was already imagining what awaited me. I thought that if I now also get to a party where Billie Eilish would sing or Philip Glass would perform, this would become one of the most vivid adventures that had happened to me.

About half an hour later, they started letting us in small groups of 25 people toward the exit; employees stood along the entire path, coordinating the event and thanking participants, but no one said where we were going.

After passing through the exit, I realized that we weren’t leaving, but going to that very Steve Jobs Theater, located at the highest point of Apple Park, where all the company’s new products had been presented.

Outside, a beautiful and serene view of the entire Apple Park and the ring opened up. The silence in the building along with the noise of trees and grass from the wind gave even more drama to what was happening.

I still don’t understand what it was.

Inside, pleasant ambient music was playing, and Apple employees stood around the entire circle of the first floor welcoming us. All the new products from the main presentation were displayed on tables, except for the Vision Pro.

After walking around the entire circle, we went down in a continuous chain. There, a small hall with precisely set lighting on a stand with the glasses awaited us.

Near each device stood an employee and security, but everything was maximally friendly and relaxed. All together, it impressed me as much as the presentation itself.

Vision Pro Experience

The hands-on experience with Vision Pro was truly remarkable. Here’s a glimpse of what the demonstration looked like:

The Café Experience Again

I decided to get the maximum from this day and headed back to the café, although most participants simply went home. There, a pleasant surprise awaited me in the form of a light dinner of mini crab burgers, vegetables, and, of course, drinks. The choice included beer, sparkling wine, and wines.

At this time, most of the remaining participants were mainly employees and organizers who came up with something like a living corridor. Everyone was relaxed, joking a lot, and thanking each other.

Technical Sessions

The next day, presentations from various teams began. They could already be watched online, although the schedule implied a second offline day on campus. There were 175 video presentations in total.

The technical depth of these sessions was impressive. Topics ranged from:

• SwiftUI advanced techniques
• Core ML and machine learning integration
• ARKit and spatial computing concepts
• Performance optimization across all platforms
• Accessibility best practices

Each session felt like a masterclass, delivered by the people who actually built these technologies.

Ideas and Partnership

This note is written not only to share experience and impressions from the trip, but also to say that we value and strive to adopt the culture and best practices of companies like Apple, and also try to be in context and a little ahead of what’s happening in our industry.

One of the labs where you can already sign up and test Vision Pro is located in Munich, which is quite close to where our German office is located. So if you have ideas or developments in which you could realize and use the full potential of spatial interfaces, feel free to write to us with the subject “Vision Pro Partnership.”

We are open to new ideas and collaborations, and will help with development, design, and promotion of your project to the global market.

Reflections

Attending WWDC was more than just a professional development opportunity — it was a glimpse into Apple’s vision of the future. The attention to detail, the focus on user experience, and the commitment to quality were evident in every aspect of the event.

What struck me most was how Apple thinks about technology not as an end in itself, but as a means to enhance human capability and creativity. This philosophy permeates everything they do, from the design of their products to the way they organize events like WWDC.

For someone working in design and technology, being at WWDC was like attending a masterclass in how to think about products, users, and the future. It reinforced many of the principles we try to follow at Open Media and gave us new ideas for how we can improve our own work.

The Vision Pro announcement, in particular, opened up new possibilities for spatial design that we’re only beginning to explore. The potential for creating truly immersive, intuitive interfaces is enormous, and I’m excited to see how this technology evolves.