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Comment by rufo | Hacker News Reader

Just like they do every year...?

EDIT: Also, if you went to WWDC, you already get free access.

It still feels weird to me for a company to charge for instructional videos on their own platform. Google doesnt' do it with Android - there are heaps of tutorials on YouTube coverring different APIs. Microsoft doesn't do it for their tools either. Google want to sell Android apps, Microsoft wants to sell development tools, Apple want to sell iPhones. Why charge?

Because Apple knows that people will pay.

I doubt, for example, students would pay $300 for development videos. They would, however, happily watch those videos if provided for free on Youtube, and perhaps make something awesome because of it.

Although I went to WWDC, I'm also a student, and if I wanted the videos because I thought I would learn from them, I would happily pay $300 for them. Just like how I've purchased a fair number of iPhone programming books, just like how I'm buying a new MacBook Pro..

Apple is only charging for videos from WWDC. They provide a whole bunch of free iPhone development video tutorials if you sign up as an iPhone developer (which is free also). I'm not sure why they don't provide WWDC stuff for free, perhaps they're worried that it would discourage people from turning up to the conference.

Do you have any idea how many man-hours go into the preparation of WWDC talks? Sure, other people may give away their development presentations. But then, they're not (IMHO, etc, etc) nearly as informative, polished, or well produced as standard WWDC fare.

Like seemingly everything related to Apple, if you don't perceive -- or just aren't interested in paying for -- the difference in quality, don't buy it. But also please at least consider not insulting the intelligence of those who do and are by claiming the cost isn't justifiable.

Do you have any idea how many man-hours go into the preparation of WWDC talks?

Because preparing for TechEd, PDC, WPC is cheap, isn't it? Or their presentations are not any good? The truth is Apple knows that people will pay for those things, so they charge for them.

Or their presentations are not any good?

Yes. Exactly. I'd say "not as good", but whatever you like.

Oops. Thanks. I have to improve more in my English.

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