Apple introduces new online engagement series for developers

Tech giant Apple has launched a new online developer engagement series - Tech Talks 2021 - that provides developers globally, including in India, an opportunity to connect with Apple experts.

Tech Talks 2021 features more than 100 live sessions and 1,500 office hours running over the course of the next eight weeks.

Tech Talks will provide an opportunity for developers to directly connect with Apple experts to learn more about new technologies, ask questions, and receive one-on-one guidance, a statement said.

It will also serve as a new way for developers to share direct feedback with Apple team members about their experiences building and distributing apps on the App Store, it added.

Every single day, developers around the world are creating incredible apps and games for our platforms, and it's our goal to provide them with every resource we can to help make the hard work they put in that much easier and more impactful, Apple vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations Susan Prescott said.

Prescott added that the team is looking forward to connecting with even more developers around the world "so we can better support the important work of this incredibly valued community, and listen to and learn from them".

Sessions will be conducted online from Apple locations around the world in multiple time zones, including Bengaluru, Cupertino, London, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Seoul, South Korea, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Israel and Tokyo.

Each session includes a live presentation from Apple experts followed by a Q&A session. Developers can get in-depth technical details on integrating SwiftUI, App Clips, HealthKit, machine learning, augmented reality and accessibility features.

They can also explore a variety of other development topics, including adopting 5G, publishing in-app events on the App Store, getting the most out of the App Review process, and getting started with enterprise development, the statement said.

The App Store, which was launched in 2008, is currently home to 1.8 million apps and visited by more than half a billion people each week across 175 countries.

"Office hours" (a Q&A session) provides an opportunity for developers to meet with Apple experts across App Review, Evangelism, App Store Connect, and Developer Technical Support for one-on-one, 30-minute conversations about their apps, it added.

Developers can choose a topic and ask questions about technology usage and adoption, refining their designs, resolving issues, and understanding guidelines and tools.

Tech Talks 2021 sessions are free of charge, and open to current members of the Apple Developer Program and the Apple Developer Enterprise Program.

Apple provides a wide variety of cutting-edge tools and end-to-end support for developers to build, test, market, and distribute their apps to more than 1.5 billion Apple devices. An extensive suite of free tools and frameworks including software development kits (SDKs) and developer services with more than 2,50,000 APIs support developers building apps for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS.

Apple had started its App Accelerator in India in 2017 to foster the country's fast evolving app ecosystem, inspire innovation in the local developer community, and help them build great applications with global appeal.

Since 2020, App Accelerator has been conducting all its sessions, consultations, and labs online. This has expanded Accelerator's reach from Bengaluru to smaller cities and towns of India.

Emulating the in-person Accelerator experience, the online sessions allowed developers to ask questions, and get their queries addressed by a team of Apple experts based in India who monitor the sessions real-time. All attendees are able to view these responses, encouraging a meaningful peer-to-peer learning experience.

Post these online sessions for one-on-one assistance, developers are continuing to book consultations with Apple experts.

Supported by the App Accelerator, apps by Indian developers like Calzy, Lumy, Froggipedia, Look-up, Cone, Tasks, and Bonfire are receiving global visibility and acclaim. The App Accelerator has contributed to nearly 9,00,000 jobs in India that can be attributed directly to the iOS App ecosystem.