As the world awaits for the release of Apple's Next Big Thing, developers are putting the finishing touches on applications to be ready for iPad's April 3 ship date. And Apple is getting ready too. The company yesterday began accepting submissions for iPad App Store, its online application outlet for iPhone and iPad. According to a report on engadget , the deadline for having apps available on opening day is March 27 at 5:00pm PT; that's 8:00 pm in the Eastern U.S.

If you're on the buying end, you'd better get your order in. Apple opened the gates to pre-orders on Friday, and according to this ArsTechnica story , they're selling at about 25,000 an hour, fast enough to sell through its initial production run by the end of this weekend--almost two weeks before they even hit store shelves.

I'd call it common sense to figure that most iPads sold will be of the $499 (cheapest) variety, but the ArsTechnica story also estimates that perhaps as many as a quarter will include the 3G/GPS option for another $130 plus $29.95 a month for unlimited data transfer. There's also the $50 Verizon MiFi that sets up a mobile WiFi hotspot for up to five computers. But to get that price, you'll have to sign up for two years. It otherwise costs $250.