Reviewer's test account gives peek behind the scenes

App developers got a brief glimpse into the workings of the review process yesterday when photos emerged of what appeared to be the work desk of an App Store reviewer. As ReadWriteWeb discovered, the photos -- posted on a test Facebook account -- showed an iMac, several Apple products, and what appeared to be app review guidelines.

Ostensibly belonging to a cat named Dive Apple, the account also contained test posts from various apps. The photos showed an iMac with several unfamiliar app icons in the Dock, as well as a sheet of paper with the aforementioned guidelines. Devices in the images included an iPhone and an iPad, presumably for testing purposes.

Little practical information was revealed in the leak, but it does provide a glimpse into the workings of Apple's popular app marketplace. It's believed that developers of apps with a Facebook tie-in may be able to check user logs to see if Dive Apple has posted anything with their app, which would indicate that a title has at least been tested. Apple's app review process is notoriously secretive, with some apps facing unusually long wait times before approval.

by MacNN Staff