This is what it's like to be a teen developer invited by Apple to attend its big tech conference

One of the smartest things Apple is doing is encouraging teenagers who like to code to write iOS apps. This helps the company create a new generation of fans.

Even just a few years ago, programmers under age 18 were not welcomed by Apple with open arms. You had to be 18 to get an Apple Developer account and submit an app to the App Store or to attend its huge annual World Wide Developer's Conference.

Today, teen developers can be as young as 13 to submit apps, according Apple's terms of service.

And those who want to attend the WWDC apply for a scholarship that waives the conference fees for them.

They are the second stars of the show, with special access to Apple's star executives.

Teen programmers Blake Bollinger and Michael Verges, who wrote an app together, were among Apple's 350 scholarship winners to attend WWDC 2016, held last week in San Francisco. Most of the scholars were high school or college students.

Their app is called "Verse" and it will help singers train their voices. It was written for iOS 10 and hasn't been published yet.

Here is their account of what their week at Apple's WWDC was like.