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Why you should attend NSSpain

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Last week I was able to attend an event that meant a lot to me and that I was looking forward to attending for the first time.

Before going, I asked the people I knew who had been there in previous years.

Even so, what I saw exceeded my expectations.

So today, I’ll tell you how I experienced it and why I think you should go if you’re interested in development for Apple environments.

But not without first thanking hiberus, who made it possible for several colleagues from the iOS team to attend.

Once upon a time #

NSSpain has been a notable event on the Apple developer calendar since its inception in 2013.

Created by Luis Ascorbe and Borja Reinares the event has already completed its 212nd edition and everything points (and I hope) to many more to come.

Over the years, it has gained popularity, not only in Spain but internationally.

Its collaborative environment has been key to building an important and close community within the Apple ecosystem.

NSSpain 2024 #

The 2024 edition was held from September 17 to 19 in Logroño, attracting professionals worldwide to share experiences and learn about the latest developments in iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS development.

Another fact that in my opinion favors its success is the chosen date.

After a recent WWDC with news and the launch of the new version of iOS, it is accessible to start new conversations or talks.

Organization #

This year, the workshops (optional, which I was unable to attend) were held on September 17, and the main conferences took place on the 18th and 19th.

From the very beginning, it was clear that the organizers had been concerned with creating a welcoming environment and promoting a space for collaboration and the exchange of ideas.

In addition, they have taken care of details so that during breaks, travel, and schedules, you have everything you need and in the shortest time possible.

Examples of this are ordering a coffee during the break, with barely any queues, to the ease of getting to the winery.

The quality of the speakers was also notable, with experts who contributed both technical knowledge and their vision of the future of Apple development.

Talks #

The talks offered a deep focus on technologies such as Swift, SwiftUI, Testing, and Vision Pro.

Software architectures, accessibility, and security were discussed, providing the necessary tools to improve applications.

The talks ranged from the more fun to the more inspiring and thought-provoking.

The sessions also stood out for their thematic diversity, ensuring that both beginner and experienced developers could take away something valuable.

I’m not going to talk in detail about the talks, nor will I reveal the technical aspects, as they will be published on the NSSpain Vimeo channel, and I recommend that you watch them.

But I do want to give you some key points that I found important. Both from the technical point of view of Apple development and if you want to give talks at these types of events.

I’m not going to tell you about all the talks here either, it doesn’t mean that those that weren’t there weren’t interesting, but it would make the article too long.

So when I recommend that you watch them, I recommend that you watch them all and that you decide which ones you like the most.

Preparing Your App For Apple Intelligence - Matthew Cassinelli #

This was the first of the talks. I was quite interested in it because Apple Intelligence is a very important development for me and I predict (over time) it will have great potential.

Mathew raised an important key: Design for Apple Intelligence, not for Siri Shortcuts.

So You Think You Know Swift? - Nick Lockwood #

The expectations for the second talk were high, its title (So You Think You Know Swift?) posed an important challenge.

If you ask this question at an event full of Apple developers, you either bring something good or you lose credibility, and Nick did not disappoint.

He gave us a very technical talk with a collection of tricks to write more efficient code, very well organized by the different features of the language.

Broken isolation - draining your credentials from popular macOS password managers - Wojciech Reguła #

The next talk, I confess that at first, it was not one of the ones I was most expecting to see.

But Wojciech led it expertly, making it easy to follow, and with a surprising outcome.

I did not expect to see what he taught and how the most popular password management applications on macOS save passwords.

Believe me, you will be surprised.

Getting the most from Swift Macros - Daniel Steinberg #

Another outstanding talk was by Daniel Steinberg, who has a significant number of books published on Swift development at Editors Cut

Daniel raised the question of whether we should create our macros. And watching his talk I have a clear answer 😂, so you should not miss it either.

It was enviable how he was able to show the ins and outs of Macros.

And although they are complex, knowing them is essential to take advantage of their full potential.

Training, Using, Distributing, and Managing Machine Learning models for your iOS app - Felix Krause #

Someone who also raised a lot of expectations was Felix Krause, founder of fastlane, the open-source tool used in numerous iOS and Android projects to build and deploy.

Not only that but he is now immersed in the ContextSDK project, which discovers the best way to monetize your users through artificial intelligence.

So as a technology enthusiast and increasingly AI enthusiast, it is a blessing to be able to listen to Felix on how to approach a business based on ML to get the information your users need.

Without a doubt, an inspiring example of how to take advantage of technology to provide value to your users.

Chasing Fun: Creating a Career You Love - Michael Flarup #

A talk that also had a positive impact on me was Michael Flarup’s.

I was looking forward to hearing from him because professional development is another field that interests me.

Michael is an example of how to give a talk at this type of event, not only for what he told us but above all for HOW he told it.

He knew how to capture attention at all times, mixing his professional career with very funny moments, highlighting the importance of working on what you love and continuing to move forward without giving up.

Also, being more focused on design, I’m more curious about his books on icons for apps

Best-in-class Pull Request - Danijela Vrzan #

I was also looking forward to seeing Danijela.

I’ve been following her blog for a while now, where she offers very interesting resources, not only about Swift but also about general development or design.

Danijela talked about a very practical topic such as PRs, and showed only the differences between a good PR and one that isn’t.

It should be noted that a Pull Request not only affects the person who creates it but also the person who will review it or who will take it as an example.

I would highlight the example she gave about how to deal with large PRs.

Test your apps! How testing can make you more efficient and what are best practices for maintainable tests - Krzysztof Zablocki #

The second day started strong (and not because of the wine from the night before in the cellar 😉)

Krzysztof Zablocki started speaking, someone who has developed libraries and tools used by Apple, Disney, Airbnb, The New York Times or Vinted.

And if you add to that portfolio the fact that the topic is testing, he had my full attention.

Krzysztof showed us the best practices he has learned over this time for making tests, emphasizing that they are maintainable.

Which can undoubtedly save us a lot of time.

What I found most important is that he raised on several occasions the importance of testing implementations, not behaviors.

Accessibility and the Vision Pro - Robin Kanatzar #

If you are interested in accessibility (and you should be) you can’t miss Robin’s talk either.

A good foundation will be great for you, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry, he explains it very well and it’s easy to follow.

He explained the differences and new features that we have in this field, for the new spatial computing device.

And the fact is that, in this new hardware, there are many details that we still don’t take into account.

Details that can make a difference in the experience that users have when using accessibility features.

Swift Server-Side. The Apple Last Frontier - Adolfo Vera #

Another of the talks that I also really liked was Adolfo’s.

Although I had previously written on social media, I met there for the first time.

Adolfo spoke about Vapor, a tool that is still undervalued for me, and that brings many advantages to application development, especially for Apple.

She gave us an overview of what we can do, and what is the best way, providing tips that will be of great help for your first developments with Vapor.

But without a doubt, I would highlight how she was able to capture the attention of the audience throughout the talk 🙂.

A very fun and recommendable talk.

The Date-ing Game - Ellen Shapiro #

Ellen also brought a very interesting talk, although the topic might not seem so at first: dates.

It was also very enjoyable and fun to follow the talk and discover the number of elements that we can (and should) take into account when working with dates.

Especially if we have to work with several formats.

Essential if this is your case.

Warp Speed ​​with Metal Performance Shaders - Francesco Marini #

Francesco gave us a masterclass on Apple hardware and how to take advantage of it to improve the graphical performance of games or apps.

It was a very in-depth talk, which I will watch again (pausing the video at times 😅) to be able to go deeper and look for relevant information.

Lots of quality information.

Specially important to watch if you work with graphics.

“It Scrolls Like Butter” Part 2: Implementing High Performance Scrolling in Threads - Tim Oliver #

Oliver’s talk also raised great expectations, and it is not every day that you can see an iOS engineer live on Instagram.

And if there’s one thing you do on Instagram, it’s scrolling.

So it was great to hear so many details, and in such a fun and enjoyable way, that improved the user experience.

Building amazing user experiences using SharePlay - Vanessa Furtado #

Ending the second day, I was very pleasantly surprised by Vanessa’s talk.

Until that moment, I thought that SharePlay was limited to sharing video and audio.

But she showed us how they use it in iFood.

In addition to making the talk very interesting, it was creative and I’m sure that it has brought more than one (like me) new ideas for their development.

Software engineer or code craftsman - Michael Fletcher #

To close the event, Michael brought an interesting question: Software engineer or code craftsman?

Showing real-life examples and comparisons, he invited us to think about what we do and what we would like to do.

One more thing #

I’ve already said several times that I liked it not only because of the technical level but also because of how much fun I had.

And one of those special moments was when we were able to learn how to properly hold a glass and taste the wine 😂

I don’t know if it will appear in the videos, but it certainly deserves it.

It’s not all about code #

NSSpain 2024 was not just a space to learn about technology, but also to connect with the community.

Networking was an essential component, and social activities brought the opportunity to meet other professionals in a more relaxed way.

One of the most enriching experiences was the visit to a winery on September 18, where after the presentations, we were able to learn details about wine production and storage, followed by a cocktail dinner that opened up more opportunities for conversation and collaboration.

Additionally, during the evenings, most attendees gathered on and around the famous Laurel Street, a place known for its lively atmosphere and gastronomy (highlighting the pintxos and wine 🍷).

These nights out allowed us to continue sharing ideas in a more informal way.

In addition, visiting Logroño on these dates had an added attraction, and that is that on September 20th the local festivities began, creating a festive atmosphere that enhanced the experience of the event.

Why you should go to the next NSSpain #

NSSpain continues to be one of the best opportunities for Apple developers looking to improve their skills.

Learning from experts and building strong professional relationships is a must if you care about your professional development.

From both a technical and human point of view, the event surpasses itself.

It offers not only valuable technical content but also a strong and accessible community.

There is no doubt that future editions will continue to be a reference point in the Apple developer calendar internationally.

If you are looking to improve your career as a developer, learn from the best, and expand your contacts network, NSSpain is the conference you should attend.

Conclusions #

NSSpain 2024 demonstrated once again why it is an unmissable event for Apple developers, not just from Spain.

It has become an international reference point where it is important to go if you want to: learn, connect with other professionals, and have fun (not necessarily in that order 😉)

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