Tickets For Apple’s WWDC 2013 Sell Out In Under 2 Minutes, Compared To 2 Hours In 2012

I managed to get a ticket, but just barely. The system used in previous years where the sell date wasn’t announced beforehand was more fair. It favored the people who are crazy enough to set up alert systems, check the WWDC website every day when they wake up, have arrangements with friends to alert each other, and keep a constant eye on Twitter for weeks on end. Announcing the sale date a day in advance was bound to make tickets sell out as fast as it takes for a computer to process about 5,000 credit cards.

I’m now hearing people suggest systems like a lottery or some other alternative to a mad first-come, first-served rush. This seems even worse, because anyone with even a passive interest can sign up for a lottery, and some fraction of those who win will go. Those people will take the spots of people who want to go far more than they do.

Not every problem in life can be solved perfectly. Apple platforms are about as hot as it gets right now, and the conference is a fixed size. To make it bigger would risk ruining what makes it great, and probably impose an unreasonable burden on Apple, who already has hundreds of engineers on hand all week as it is (not to mention the weeks of prep for those that give sessions). It’s going to sell out fast. That sucks for people who really want to go but weren’t able to get a ticket, but such is life.