[kstenerud]

Short answer: It's part of the uniform.

Long answer: Conferences were traditionally the way to get the latest information on technology, but now that we're so well connected, that's no longer the case. As with all relics, people will continue to do these out of industry habit, and for the networking opportunities.

[salahxanadu]

Yes, but they are still important. I eagerly await the releases of the wwdc videos. This year they're going to release them asap.

I'm so glad the years of bidding on wwdc dvds on ebay is behind us.