We are exploring a new territory within the Apple developer landscape. Here is how I plan my expedition.

Get a solid grasp of what’s new

Start with Apple’s own overviews:

• iOS 8 for Developers
• What’s new in iOS
• API Diffs

Keep in mind questions like these:

• What does this enable that isn’t currently possible?
• How would Apple promote this feature?
• Is this a evolutionary or ‘revolutionary’?
• Does this seem to be a dead-end or a beachhead?

Short list your paths

Start to think about how you are going to spend your summer.

• How much time do you have?
• What are your ‘minimum’ required things? Not what could you do, what must you do?
• What would you enjoy trying most?
• Do you have any specific skills, connections or experience that give you an advantage?

Avoid the pitfalls

Keep a few things in mind.

• New developer focused features are often really buggy to start with and your customers won’t care.
• It likely need to be ready by September 1. So be careful how much you bite off. (It was Sept 10 for iOS 7).
• Try to focus on what is going to cool in iOS 8, tackling lots of problems that aren’t specific to it might not make much sense.

And most of all, have fun!