The annual Google Developer conference has become insanely popular, so much so that selling the tickets has now become a problem for the search giant. Until now, tickets were sold on a first-come-first-serve basis. In 2012, they sold out in just over 20 minutes, while last year they also lasted less than an hour. With that in mind this year Google has decided to revamp the admission process by holding a lottery to let people in.

Registration will remain open from 5 a.m. PT on April 8 to 5 p.m. PT on April 10. Anyone can register using their Google+ account and Google Wallet. As far as pricing is concerned, general admission tickets are available for $900, while academic admission tickets cost $300. You can apply anytime within this time frame, as attendees will be picked up randomly, Google says.

Google traditionally showers attendees with expensive freebies like Android phones, tablets and Chromebooks (including the high-end Google Pixel). This has naturally helped to the rising popularity of I/O and many other conferences have also followed suit. For example, Microsoft last year gave developers a Surface PC and an Acer Windows 8 tablet.

For those who are unable to attend the conference in person, you can watch live-streamed talks and join some Google Hangouts, and of course we'll bring you the best bits through our usual coverage too. This year's conference will be held at the Moscone Centre on June 25 and 26.