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Google I/O to Take Place in May, Will Once Again Be Online
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If we are making a comparison to WWDC, that is fair, but we also need to think about these events beyond the keynote presentations.
The ability to do labs, do demos, see focused sessions about things you work with, and talk unofficially with the product teams is where the real value of a company's annual conference is.
The ability to do labs, do demos, see focused sessions about things you work with, and talk unofficially with the product teams is where the real value of a company's annual conference is.
Live events are good if…the presenters are dynamic (Jobs) and they have something truly innovative to show (iPhone).
Otherwise for most product launches like Apple’s event last week was perfect as a video. Because what was announced was evolutionary, and Tim is not dynamic. ?
Otherwise for most product launches like Apple’s event last week was perfect as a video. Because what was announced was evolutionary, and Tim is not dynamic. ?
They might not watch it in its entirety, but you can bet they watch like the Verge’s summary. Tech is very mainstream these days and you would be surprised how much people want to know whats going on or upcoming with the ecosystem they are interested in. Those hundreds of persons I see using an iPhone on the train each morning didn’t just take whatever was handed to them. They did research, they went to an Apple store, they watched videos on YouTube.
I expect WWDC to be digital, and given the state of Apple’s developer relations, that’s probably how Apple likes it. But I really hope Apple goes back to live events. The pre-recorded scripts are so… sterile and I really hate the way Apple has added a million presenters onto it, probably for diversity reasons but it makes it very disjointed. I would prefer a real life event where they can only have a few people talking (I would prefer if we only saw Tim, Craig, Jony Srouji, John Ternus, and a few others) and there was a real audience and stage. Live events would tune down all the performative corporate BS just a few notches and make things more watchable.
Google should just keep this as a developer event/meetup. Putting lessons online only can be done any time of the year.
Doing silly product presentations make no sense as Google barely sells anything. Showing some nest thermostat update isn't really quite the same as a new iMac or a new Samsung Fold or something.
Not everyone needs sales presentations for the public.
Doing silly product presentations make no sense as Google barely sells anything. Showing some nest thermostat update isn't really quite the same as a new iMac or a new Samsung Fold or something.
Not everyone needs sales presentations for the public.
I’m with you on this 100%. They seem to prefer quantity and diversity over quality of the presenter. Not everyone can pull off a presentation — just like not every actor can land the lead role in a film.
The WWDC sessions seem better in the digital-only format, but for the product events it sometimes comes across like they are presenting at a car show or some other obnoxious event. I like Craig best, but even he is better live because he plays off the audience. I like Joz too and his infectious laugh.
I miss the geeky element from the Jobs-era.
I could go on and on — glad I’m not the only one that feels this way.
Always look forward to Google I/O so we can see the projects they'll be abandoning in a few years. (Yes, I know this is a tired, old joke...but it still applies)
I think both formats, live and prerecorded can work. But when Apple has something new to introduce the live presentations really help. Still think Tim Cook’s intro for the Watch is his finest moment as a presenter and that was because of the live audience reaction.
Are you preparing us for a merger? Gapple?
Ok…this was legit funny.
Sundar is secretly laughing in the background while playing Squid games on his Pixel.
I must admit I'm torn between live and digital events. Both event types have their advantages and disadvantages.
I like some of the cinematic creativity in the digital events, but as you put it allows to much corporate BS. Live events done well can be more inspiring and more engaging. I don't need to highlight the downsides though.
Apple: Here is our latest product, and you can expect many years of support, just like many of our past products.
Google: Here is our latest product, and you can expect it to be dropped in a few years, just like most of our other products.
Digital events are now the norm. Live events is only good for the presenters who want to get a cheap pop after every announcement.