If you're an iPhone developer, you may have received this email from Apple. With the launch of the iPad about two weeks away, the pressure is on to get an iPad-specialized App Store ready.

Those that want to take part in the grand opening of the iPad App Store will need to have their app submitted to Apple by Saturday, March 27. This will give Apple reviewers time to go over the apps and give feedback to developers if there are any problems that may make the grand opening a rough one.

It's important to note that only the apps that meet this March 27 deadline will be able to partake in the grand opening.

via Cult of Mac

York joined the Appl board in 1997 after being the chairman, president, and CEO of Harwinton Capital. He was also a former CFO of IBM and Chrysler, as well as being the former vice president of Tracinda. 

“Jerry joined Apple’s Board in 1997 when most doubted the company’s future. He has been a pillar of financial and business expertise and insight on our Board for over a dozen years,” said Apple chief executive Steve Jobs. “It’s been a privilege to know and work with Jerry, and I’m going to miss him a lot.”

York was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1938. He is a graduate from the United States Military Academy, and also received his MS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as an MBA from the University of Michigan. 

Eilene York, his wife, states that he collapsed in his Rocheser, Michigan home on Tuesday night and was thus transferred over to Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital by emergency services, where he was listed as being in 'critical condition'. 

York died of a massive cerebral hemorrage, according to the doctors that treated him.

Apple has a tribute page to York on their website, http://www.apple.com.

"With deep sadness we announce the loss of a member of our corporate family and dear friend, Jerry York," Apple says in a tribute posted to its home page. "Jerry courageously joined Apple's Board of Directors in 1997, when many doubted the company's future, and contributed his extraordinary character, business expertise, and leadership to help guide Apple for over a decade. Jerry was one of kind --and we're going to miss him dearly."

Source: iPhones.ru

New tools have been unlocked by Apple for iPhone developers and publishers this week, allowing the to schedule and automate app release dates and price changes. These tools appear in the web-based iTunes Connect interface that developers and publishers use to submit and manage their offerings in the iTunes Store and App Store. 

So now publishers can pre-set a schedule for their new and/or updated apps or even schedule price changes that will go in effect on specified dates. The purpose for this is to give developers in getting more flexibility as well as control on marketing their apps to potential customers in the overpopulated App Store.

For example, from the above screenshot from iPhones.ru, an app can be scheduled to be released on March 4 at pricing tier 1 ($0.99), and then go up to pricing tier 2 ($1.99) two weeks from original release. More price changes can be made - it's not restricted to a certain number (as in the screenshot case, 2).

We can look forward to future changes.

via AppleInsider

iLounge was the first to report that Apple has been in talks with the vendors of these products about this impending ban.

This product ban will include screen protectors and films for iPhones, iPods, Macs, and iPads, and will include completely clear film, anti-glare film, and mirrored. It does not matter whether it is protective/decorative, they will be removed and banned.

This ban will take place starting in May, and will be for both brick-and-mortar Apple Stores and the online Apple Store. 

Perhaps Apple is doing this to promote that the screens on their products do not need any additional protection? Take for example, the oleophobic screens on the iPhone 3GS, which have a protective coating on the glass surface to make them more resistant to smudging and dirt. This kind of technology is rendered usless if there is a protective film on top of it.

It has also been reported that this ban could be because of the difficulty for most customers in applying the film onto their devices, which result in a high amount of returns and complaints.

Source: TheAppleBlog

The rules for this program are pretty simple and fairly straightforward. Once the iPad is unable to maintain a charge, the device can be sent to Apple for a fee of $99 + $6.95 S&H, and Apple will send you a replacement iPad, not just a battery.

There is the little rule that Apple may refuse to replace it for you if the device has any damage due to accidents, neglect, or water damage. However, Apple should be able to replace the device as long as it is still able to be turned on and can still sync to a computer. The only thing that may prevent a replacement is a smashed screen (get those protective cases and sleeves, people!).

Of course, since your current iPad will be replaced with an entirely different iPad, it is absolutely vital to keep your data backed up. Apple will be informing customers this time (unlike with iPhone replacements) that no data will be preserved once an iPad is sent in to be replaced. 

It's unsure if the replacement devices will be brand new or refurbished, but it seems that most of Apple refurbished products are almost brand new anyway. 

This program can be done through AppleCare (though you don't need AppleCare for the iPad) or Apple's website. Customers can also go through Genius Bars once the initial iPad demand dies down, since there will eventually be spare iPads kept in stores to serve as "service parts". 

Good if you would like a new device, bad if you don't want to pay the fee or don't sync your iPad to backup data. If you're part of the latter, perhaps looking into a third party solution would be better for you.

It also addresses the following:

- Issues addressed that caused background message colors to display incorrectly in Mail when scrolling
- Issue resolved that caused machines using BTMM and the Bonjour Sleep Proxy to wake unexpectedly

Also it will fix an issue with Software Update in which it keeps reoffering the latest Safari 4.0.5 update after the latest build.

According to MacRumors, this 10D571 build was originally seeded 12 days ago, so a final public release should be appearing soon.

To help keep track, 10.6.2 update was originally released in November 2009, and various 10.6.3 versions have been seeded by Apple since early January, claim MacRumors. 

If you're eager to get your hands on one of the first iPads, then you better set your alarms. Apple will begin taking preorders for the iPad starting tomorrow, March 12, at 5:30 AM PST / 8:30 AM EST. 

However, this is ONLY for the Wi-fi iPad. Those that are wanting the 3G model will need to wait.

Remember, prices for the Wi-fi iPad start at $499 for the 16GB, $599 for the 32GB, and $699 for the 64GB. The 3G models carry a $130 premium on top of these stated prices.

The Wi-fi iPad models will be released on April 3, missing the 60 day mark from the original Jan 27 announcement by a few days.

Visit http://www.apple.com/ipad/ for preorders or learn more about the iPad.

In the latest version of the iPhone 3.2 SDK, references to Wikipedia have been found that point in a possible default search option in Safari for all iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPads in the future.

The Wikipedia references is found alongside the two previous options for searching, which are currently Google and Yahoo. Google is set as the default, however, users can easily change that default to Yahoo if they so desire. 

However, Google and Yahoo both give users links to various sites to get their answers, while Wikipedia simply contains publicly-editable articles, some of which may not even be credible. This would be a rather weird move for Apple, when there are other actual search engines available such as Bing.com. Maybe this is just the beginning of more search options being implemented into the iPhone OS Safari.

This can also be a result of the ever-growing tense relationship between Apple and Google as of late.

via iPodnn