I find it hilarious that most solo or indie developers (who they are targeting, and the vast majority of developers) won't be able to get a .dev domain judging by these prices. If they really cared, they would have some program where they validated you were a real developer and actually put some effort into screening out squatters.
Instead they have implemented a braindead dutch auction-style system that ensures developers will not be represented fairly. The marketing and implementation of this are out of touch and its doubtful this effort will be successful.
Really? Because starting feb 28th it's only 12$/year, that's lower than pretty much any other decent TLD. Do indie devs really need the high demand domain names?
When I think of 'developers' I don't think of corporations with a $12k budget, sorry. What was cool about domain names back in the day was that anyone could register them, and you could get a cool name as an individual. I realize things are different now, and it's all about money.
It would be like Github launching a new web site and allowing 'developers' to select their usernames on a first-come basis if they paid $12k for the privilege. It's incredibly tacky and shows a lack of self-awareness on the part of Google.
Instead they have implemented a braindead dutch auction-style system that ensures developers will not be represented fairly. The marketing and implementation of this are out of touch and its doubtful this effort will be successful.