Is Google Changing The Rules To Attend Google I/O?

Yesterday, on the Google Code Blog, an announcement was made saying the dates have changed for Google I/O and that it will now be three days instead of two. That’s interesting, but what really caught my attention was a statement informing us to “... brush up on your coding skills. They’ll come in handy when the new application process opens in February.”

For those that aren’t familiar with Google I/O, it is Google’s largest developer conference that takes place every year. It usually showcases new products, both hardware and software, that the company has been working on. It also has a large amount of breakout sessions where people can go to learn how to use the new products, as well as improve their skills on existing technologies, API’s, etc. Google has also set a precedence for giving away the latest gadgets to all the attendees of Google I/O. Last year, for example, attendees received a Galaxy 10.1 tablet, a Samsung Chromebook, and a Verizon Hot Spot with three months of free service.

These giveaways have made the conference very popular in the tech world. Last year, it sold out in under an hour, and it only took that long because the registration site was so slammed with traffic that people weren’t able to sign up. This caused a lot of frustration with developers who claimed people who aren’t interested in development are going to the conference just to receive the free gifts.

This year, it appears that Google may be trying to make this conference truly for developers and possibly implementing some sort of programming test as part of the application for tickets.  Along with the quote mentioned in the start of this article, there was a little clarification from the developers on the Google + Developers Page:

“The application process will test general programming skills, as opposed to product-specific knowledge. We’re designing it so that every developer is given a fair shot at attending Google I/O, but don’t expect it to be as involved as last year’s Last Call for Google I/O…how’s that for a hint?”

Last year, Google had a contest after I/O sold out called Last Call for Google I/O for developers to compete in to try to win passes to the sold-out event. There were different categories pertaining to different Google products. In order to answer the questions, you had to be a developer familiar with the products. So, while the application process doesn’t appear to be that in depth, it does look like they are trying limit it to people familiar with development only.

I can see this as a good and a bad thing. On one hand, it will be an attempt to weed out people who are just looking to score free swag, and open more seats for people that are truly interested in the technologies. On the other hand, it will make it hard for companies to send groups of people, some of which may not be developers, but people looking to understand the emerging technologies to determine how to use them in their businesses.

At this point, these are only rumors, and we won’t really know what they’re planning with the application process until they open up the registrations in February. We will then all rush to try to get passes. We’ll keep an eye on this and post updates as they become available.