iPhone SDK4 debuts, Panda/P2 protocol goes MIA

As the new iPhone SDK hit the streets, I decided to take another look at those iPhone Panda protocols I wrote about just a month ago. To my slight surprise, the protocols disappeared from Apple's public iTunes listings.

All mentions of Panda have dropped away. The two remaining P2 (i.e. iPhone) items, namely a top ten list and the iTunes terms of service, no longer produce any iPhone-specific results. The top ten list now returns a music list without (pseudo) applications they way it did back in March. Other early features including Top 50 and Featured Genres are MIA.

As the actual AppStore launch draws near --optimists hope for June -- expect the StoreBag to update once again with live data feeds. The early Panda/P2 previews were unusual in that they went live so early. I'm not surprised Apple pulled them for now. But watch the StoreBag and it's big brother the SecureBag. They generally go live first for iTunes-driven technologies like AppStore, the mobile music store and AppleTV typically a day or two before the actual stores launch.