Time:
Cider can easily finish fermenting in a few weeks (depending on various factors), but it will take additional time to clear unless you use fining.
If you don't mind it cloudy, a delicious cider can be ready to drink pretty quickly. Proper rehydration for dry yeast, proper pitch rate, good aeration, staggered nutrient additions, and appropriate temperature control for the yeast all help avoid off flavors.
Alcohol:
The juice I use has OG around 1.050-1.060 and ferments dry to around 7% ABV. I never add sugar besides for carbonation.
It gives the perception of semi-dry, which is perfect for my taste. Apples have sorbitol, which is an unfermentable sugar and adds sweetness to a "dry" cider.
Temperature:
Appropriate temperature is very important, but it depends on the particular yeast strain that you use. Everyone likes different yeast.
I have good results fermenting my cider around 50°F (10°C) with a variety of wine yeast strains and with the natural yeast from unpasteurized cider.
Low temperature not only helps the yeast ferment cleanly, but it also preserves the apple flavor compounds.
Bottling at 1038 3.5% for a sweet cider
Bottling at 1031 4.5% somewhat sweet cider
Bottling at 1023 5.5% for dry cider
1000 8.25% good for the distillery
1.023 is NOT dry. Might want to double check that source. Around 0.996-1.002 is dry.
The dry cider I make is quite delicious. It certainly isn't just fit for distilling.
Also worth mentioning: sweet (i.e. not fully dry) cider needs to be somehow stabilized or pasteurized if you want shelf-stable bottles. Hopefully that was clear from your reading.
Cheers