No More Google I/O Freebies

Some are hoping that Google gives away nothing at Google I/O 2011.

I strongly agree.

It's possible that I'm motivated by sour grapes after trying to register for Google I/O mere minutes after registration opened, to be met with a sold out notice.

The quick sellout is partly a reflection of the astonishing success of Android, coupled with the setup that last year's attendees were given first dibs over the preceding week: They knew with close to certainty that they'll leave with $1000+ in freebies, so it's a pretty easy choice.

Now that I'm not in the running for what will likely include a free Motorola Xoom and Nexus S, maybe I'm just trying to urinate in the waters.

But really, such giveaways do provide the wrong motivations. Trade shows are notorious for this, with herds of incredibly cheap attendees — hotel and flight paid for by their employer, if not simply locals — motivated primarily by free pens, t-shirts, and so on.

Such a spectacle is an embarrassment. It was, I suspect, one of the things that killed COMDEX: When most of the floor is occupied by people just looking to enter draws and score swag, the value of the show is seriously undermined.

"Yeah, great demo. Where's my freebie?"

I refuse to believe that it enables development for Android. Is there really a credible Android developer who couldn't accommodate that minimal capital expense themselves? Does Apple need to give out free iPads and iPhones?

Worse still, it devalues the entire ecosystem because it makes you a sucker if you paid real money for something. It makes buying that Xoom for development even more painful because you know that so many got it for free, courtesy of Google, quickly flipping it on Ebay.