Apple Developer Center

I started this post about the Apple Developer Center several months back and never got around to finishing it. I recently moved so I am not sure I’ll have very many opportunities to visit the Developer Center again. Because of that, the visit I write about below has gained additional importance in my work and life experience. Enjoy.

Wow! A few weeks ago I received an email invitation to attend an event at the Apple Developer Center! This is a new facility that Apple has dedicated to third party developers. It is across the street from both Apple Park and the Visitors Center. I never thought I’d get to see the inside of this building let alone receive an invitation for an event! There was no doubt I was going to attend!

The event was called “Women in App Development Celebrating International Women’s Day”. Of course, the event took place on International Women’s Day! This is a subject that has always been important to me as there has only recently been an increase of women working in the software development arena. Typically the deck has been stacked against women and especially women of color, career wise. Additionally, the event was about designing for inclusiveness and how to easily do that in your app development. This is important for me as well as I have a special needs adult daughter.

The Developer Center looks like most other Apple buildings these days, lots of glass, flat roof, modern. They had greeters meeting us at the door and asking us if we were there for the event. They directed us to several folks at the front desk who efficiently checked us in, gave us our badges and a little pin and directed us to the area where we could get some coffee, meet folks and wait to be called into the theater.

The waiting area outside of the theater had a number of wood standing and sitting tables scattered throughout the area. Think Apple Store and you won’t be far off. The coffee / food area was behind a glass door at one end of the waiting area. One side of the waiting area is floor to ceiling windows where one can look out at Apple Park. If you can glimpse it through the trees, that is!

About ten minutes before the event started they opened the theater. Again, typical Apple. The seats were all wood with cushions on the seat and back. What’s amazing is they were comfortable! I’ve never seen so many stage lights and boy is it sound deadened. I’m guessing the theater will hold 50 – 100 people but it may hold more. It isn’t big. The whole back wall of the stage is a screen and there is an Apple logo that appears now and then. Overall, a pretty impressive place.

Once the event began, the first thing I noticed was the sound. It sounded like the presenter was just talking at a normal level, right next to me. Their voice didn’t sound amplified and I could hear them perfectly. Amazing!

All I can say is this, if you ever have a chance to attend an event at the Developer Center, do it. It is an experience! I can’t imagine what the Steve Job’s Theater must be like!

The event content was both informative and insightful. Apple covered many aspects of women in technology including personal stories from several owners of small technology companies and their struggles with being seen in a male dominated industry. The presenters also discussed their experience at Apple as well as covering all the various programs that Apple has to help all developers succeed.

This was a full day event that reenforced the need to continue and advance the programs that improve the opportunities for women and minorities. It reminded me just how hard it can be for women, minorities and especially women minorities to succeed in this world.

Through the personal accounts of the presenters and friends, I see that while society has progressed, it is doing a lot right now to regress. There have been many, many people over the last century that have fought very, very hard to even the “playing field” so everyone is treated equally. Some fought with their lives.

We need to honor them by continuing to fight for that field so one day, we are all treated equally and with respect and we all have the same opportunities.