News Corp. has spent the last three months assembling a newsroom that will soon be about 100 staffers strong. The Daily will launch in beta mode sometime around Christmas, and will be introduced to the public on the iPad and other tablet devices in early 2011. It is expected to cost 99 cents a week, or about $4.25 a month. It will come out - as the name suggests - seven days a week. The operation is currently working out of the 26th floor of the News Corp. Building on Sixth Avenue in a space that looks like a veritable construction zone. The staff’s permanent home will be on the ninth floor, and they’ll move down once it’s ready.

Among the writers and editors recruited to be part of The Daily:

• Greg Clayman : Heading up publishing
• Richard Johnson : Gossip, Hollywood and Los Angeles bureau
• Sasha Frere-Jones : Entertainment and culture
• Mike Nizza, Steve Alperin, Pete Picton : Managing editors
• Molly Young

There is considerable interest from Apple regarding the project, as they enter further into a subscription based model for publications on the iPad

Several sources said Apple chief Steve Jobs and Murdoch have been in conversations about the project for a while. When the project is announced, don’t be surprised if you see Steve Jobs onstage with Rupert Murdoch, welcoming The Daily to the app world.