This blog post is long overdue so I'm combining some topics of interest. Here are a few cool things I've been thinking about lately.

Leopard

Definitely Apple's biggest OS X release yet, Leopard is set to ship next month. Aside from some whining by parts of the community, it really is shaping up to be an amazing release.

This will most likely be the release where we start to see the emergence of "rich applications" in the Mac OS (hint hint), thanks to amazing new developer technologies such as Core Animation. With rich features already included such as Time Machine and Cover Flow, and inspiration from the iPhone, what will the developer community come up with? The next few years of the Mac OS are going to be really exciting.

I think a lot of the complaining about Leopard's interface is typical Apple shock to change. Many complained about Aqua when it was first introduced, some going as far as making custom OS 9 style themes to purge Aqua from their computers. I've seen all the arguments against things like the menubar, dock, folders, etc. and none of them add up. I'm looking forward what should really only be seen as a clear improvement to Leopard's user interface.

iPhone

Earlier this month I went down to the US and picked up an iPhone, with no hope in sight for a true Canadian iPhone and unlocking methods now plentiful. It is by far the most amazing piece of technology I have ever used, with its crystal clear display, brilliant user interface, and "high technology." Everything works great on my Fido plan, sacrificing visual voicemail and EDGE access (disabled, since data rates in Canada are monopolized).

Apple's mobile touchscreen OS is clearly a very polished system and seems to work well for any mobile device, evident by the release of the iPod touch. I really wouldn't be surprised if this system was opened up a bit to 3rd party devs sometime in the near future. Apple's official stance now is "no", but perhaps in a year this will change much like Apple's other questionable decisions in the past.

Acrylic / Secret Project

It has been nearly a year since I started designing and coding this ambitious project and it is finally starting to wrap up. What it actually is will remain a mystery for a little while longer, but I will say it's an entirely new take on an already popular idea that will really turn heads. We'll be unveiling more details really soon on our website, where you'll be able to get an early sneak peak before it is released. This is also a last warning to sign up to the Acrylic list (click here if you haven't done so yet); those on the list will have access to new information and beta opportunities before anyone else.

Here is a little sample of what to expect. I'll leave the guessing up to you.