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Filed under: Rumors, iPhone, SDK

Silicon Alley Insider reported yesterday that the waiting list to be accepted into the iPhone developer program is six months long.

However, insiders say that the App Store approval process is "surprisingly" efficient, and that the beta period may be drawing to a close. Apple could throw the doors wide open when the beta period ends July 11, meaning no waiting list at all.

Apple has been allowing a small fraction of applicants into the program: At WWDC, The Steve himself said that 4,000 developers have been allowed into the program out of about 25,000 applications. As of the keynote, 250,000 had downloaded the SDK.

After being accepted to the program and submitting your app, there is another waiting period while Apple reviews it, and determines whether or not it's suitable for the App Store. How long that takes is up for speculation, but the time between June 26 and July 11 is about two business weeks.

So, how's mid-January 2009 looking for you? At least we'll have new Battlestar Galactica episodes by then.

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RealNetworks said Monday it's switching gears in its quest for a larger slice of the legal music download market with the launch a DRM-free a la carte MP3 store that will cater to iPod owners directly rather than through unauthorized hacks of the pas...

Rhapsody announced the opening of an DRM-Free MP3 store today. The music tracks will be compatible with the Apple iPod as well as most other music players. This represents a significant shift in strategy for the company, who previously sold tracks ...

A recent series of internal memos from AT&T to its Mobility staffers reveal a variety of preparatory measures ahead of next month's iPhone launch, including the deployment of an iPhone 3G unbricking tool, ongoing 3G network optimizations, regional ad...

Filed under: iPod Family, iPhone, App Store

Since its announcement, we've all been speculating about the iPhone 2.0 firmware release date, but Apple has been hiding the date under our noses all along.

"iPhone 2.0 software will be available on July 11 as a free software update via iTunes(R) 7.7 or later for all iPhone customers," Apple notes in the original iPhone 3G press release (8th paragraph).

Many have told me (3 times 10 times) that this date most likely is a stall date; in other words a "latest possible ship" date for the release. We noted last week that the iPhone 2.0 firmware has already gone gold master (received shipping status); however, we might not see the new firmware until the iPhone 3G is released on July 11th.

Thanks for the tip, Austin!

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Filed under: Software, Deals

Applications on the Mac give you this warm, fuzzy feeling when you download and unpack their .dmg (or .zip) files. "Make Your Own Mac Mix" hopes to make this feeling even better by offering deals in the form of discount tiers for buying Mac applications.

You will be able to choose between 27 "high quality" Mac applications (similar to those being offered by MacHeist). Prices will be based on the following tier system:

• 10% off of any one app
• 30% off any 3
  
• 40% off any 5
  
• 50% off any 7
  
• 60% off any 9
• 70% off any 12

Just as there are no details on specific applications, there is also no set date; but the creators are claiming this will be an amazing deal on Mac applications. This deal is set to go live this month. This deal and details will soon be made available on the MacMix Promo website.

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Filed under: Apple Corporate, Retail

Last February, we forwarded a report on China's first Apple Store. At the time, it seemed the store would open on August 8th to coincide with the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics.

This week, The Shanghai Daily is reporting that the Sanlitun-based store will open on July 19, with a second store also scheduled to open during the Olympic Games (in the Qianmen area). China is the world's largest mobile phone market and second largest computer market.

No official opening dates have been released, so please send us any specifics or spy shots you take. Thanks!

[Via MacNN]

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