The invitations for the WWDC24 Special Day at Apple Park are out. If you are one of the lucky ones who will visit Apple Park, congratulations! It will be an exciting experienceyou will never forget.
Here are some tips and tricks for your upcoming journey to Cupertino (no, this is not an automated marketing email from Booking.com).
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Make sure you accept the invite by clicking on the link in the invitation email and filling in the required data. This is the only way to ensure your presence at the Special Day at Apple Park. More information will be shared with you as WWDC gets closer.
Certificates, Identifiers and Profiles
Traveling to Cupertino means travelling to the United States. Make sure you have a valid visa if you need one, or apply for one immediately. Although Apple cannot expedite this process or do anything for you, they may be able to help you by providing official documentation for your application, such as a signed letter. Try contacting them in case you need assistance.
If your country is part of the US Visa Waiver Program, apply for the electronic visa (ESTA) online (it’s valid for two years). Avoid scams or other websites that may ask you more money than necessary.
Check that your passport does not expire within 6 months of your expected return date and, if that’s the case, try to apply for a speedy release of a new one.
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Aka, plan your itinerary! Book your plane tickets in advance to secure better prices. The closest airports to Cupertino are San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC) and Oakland (OAK). While the first is best served by legacy carriers and their international connections (United, Delta, Lufthansa, KLM, etc.), the other two are better when traveling within the US, including flights with low cost carriers such as Southwest.
Although you can always take a taxi or rent a car from any airport, you can reach Cupertino or San Jose by public transport, with the BART and Caltrain from SFO, or take one of the VTA trams from SJC.
When looking for flights, first create an itinerary in case you want to visit multiple cities and landmarks in California, such as San Francisco, Yosemite, Las Vegas or San Diego.
If you plan to rent a car, make sure you have a valid international driving permit for the US. You can request one at your local driving/transport authority. A driving license for the US is usually valid for one year, so make sure it’s still valid if you already have one.
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Since there will be some events such as dinners and meetups happening around, my suggestion is to book a hotel in San Jose and then reach Cupertino by car, taxi or public transport.
Probably not the best hotel in town, but I have stayed at Pacific Motor Inn (not sponsored) in the past. It’s located in the city center and just a few meters from the McEnery Convention Center, the pre-pandemic venue of WWDC (its main perk). From there, you can drive to Cupertino in just 15 minutes.
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The day before WWDC you are invited to collect your badge at Apple Infinite Loop, the original campus one kilometer away from Apple Park. You will also receive some good, exclusive WWDC merch and pins. In your spare time, make sure to visit the Apple Visitor Center! They have great merch there, including beautiful t-shirts.
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On the day of the event, make sure you reach Cupertino in good time. Double check the schedule in advance. You will probably queue around the Apple Visitor Center and, while waiting, you can have a small breakfast from the folks at Apple, including pastries and coffee.
Read the guidelines by Apple for accessing Apple Park. For example, some items are prohibited and you will pass through a metal detector at the entrance.
Once you are inside Apple Park, enjoy it! Breakfast and lunch is usually served inside Cafe Macs, and tours and activities usually take place during the afternoon. Make sure to register in advance, as there are limited seats available.
The main events of the day are usually the Keynote at 10AM, the State of the Union around 2PM and the Apple Design Awards around 4PM (all times are in PST). These events are also live streamed for folks around the world on the Apple Developer app and on YouTube.
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I have already mentioned that side activities will take place in the Bay Area. But where and how?
Well, there’s a WWDC server on Discord that I highly recommend joining, even if you are not around during the dubdub week: https://discord.gg/aT8XuJt9. You can chat with folks from all over the world and arrange more or less planned meetups in real life.
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This is an overview of tips and tricks for your next WWDC. Do you have other tips to share or have some questions? Feel free to comment on this story!
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This article was written by Nicola Giancecchi, co-founder, CEO and Apple Platforms Engineer at letvar. Feedbacks are always welcome!
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