Ars recently took a look at what direction Apple may be headed in for the . Though concrete answers are hard to predict, the truth is that the Cocoa APIs are built on the 20+ year-old NextStep and use Objective-C, a language that until recently lacked many features common to modern development environments, such as automatically managed memory.

Last week, we also hosted a featuring several developers whose apps were picked for our . We asked them what they thought about the future of Mac OS X and Apple's development platform during the chat, and then followed up on their thoughts about languages and APIs. While current Mac developers aren't nearly as concerned as our own John Siracusa about the Objective-C language in particular, they do see new and improved APIs coming down the pike. Developers are seeing iOS influencing Mac OS X instead of the other way around.

Korg is known for many things in the music industry, not the least of which is the company's synth tech. Korg recently decided to dive into the Apple app store with iElectribe, a digital version of the company's Electribe series of rhythm synthesizer. Does it stack up? If our experience is anything to go by, then you bet it does.

iElectribe offers up 64 pre-set patterns ranging in genre from House to Hardcore, which allow the user to get up and going without having to create anything from scratch. The application also has 32 templates in a similarly large range of genres; this gives a basic framework which, with a little work, can turn into some pretty elaborate beats. For those who want total control, iElectribe has 64 user banks that have nothing more than a single synth trigger on the downbeat of each measure. You can load or write to any of these files using the browser functionality located underneath the application's faux LCD.

After a public beta and the release of Camera RAW 6 over a month ago, Lightroom 3's feature set wasn't the best-kept secret. Nevertheless, anticipation has been high for this release because of the notable improvements in noise reduction. Lightroom 3 may not be knee-deep in new features, but the Camera RAW 6 stuff alone has the potential to save people a lot of time. Let's jump right in and see what else Lightroom 3 has to offer.

iOS 4, previously known as iPhone OS 4, is a major update to Apple's mobile OS which brings a handful of significant changes—namely Apple's implementation of "multitasking" plus the opening up of thousands of APIs to third-party developers—while the rest of the improvements are basically tweaks to existing functionality.

We'll say up front that we like the update. For iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 3G users (as well as second- and third-generation iPod touch users), iOS 4 will add useful functionality that will make your device more useable than ever. There are, however, some obvious downsides, and we'll address those in this review.

Because iOS 4 is launching ahead of the new iPhone 4 (and it runs on more devices than just the new iPhone), we're reviewing it separately from the phone itself. There is some functionality that is specific to the iPhone 4, which we'll address in that review when it comes out. For the purposes of this review, though, we used iOS 4 on an iPhone 3GS—the most current iPhone available ahead of the iPhone 4 launch.

AT&T's servers are reportedly still smoking from the iPhone preorder meltdown. Apple managed to keep things interesting this last week by dropping a surprise Mac mini update on us, and we offered a detailed look at how to develop Safari 5 extensions as well as the tech behind the iPhone 4's camera.

: How future-proof is Apple's development platform? In 2005, Cocoa and Objective-C looked like the weakest links in Apple's developer story, with the potential to lead the company into a Copland-like crisis in five years. Well, here we are in 2010. How is Apple doing? Crisis averted, or merely delayed?

: A new Mac mini design snuck up on us while we were all focused on the iPhone 4. The machine now sports a slim unibody enclosure as well as improved graphics performance. There's now even an easy-access door on the bottom where users can upgrade RAM themselves—no putty knife required!

As , Apple used a two-hour scheduled maintenance shutdown of MobileMe to . The beta iPad-inspired user interface has replaced the previous version of MobileMe Mail.

The new features include options for three-panel widescreen or a compact view, on-server processing rules, archiving, rich text formatting, and improved SSL security. New features added since the beta include support for replying from multiple e-mail addresses for mail forwarded to your MobileMe account and improved junk mail filtering. Apple also says the new Mail has faster performance—in the time we've been using the beta, we would have to agree that it's definitely snappier.

Complementing the new version of Mail, all apps have a slightly re-designed toolbar that matches the style introduced with the Mail beta. Additionally, Apple has added a new for the various MobileMe apps. Clicking the MobileMe cloud icon on the far left of the toolbar—or using the the keyboard shortcut Shift-Esc—brings up a panel of large icons for Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Gallery, iDisk, and Find My iPhone.

Following the recent release of iTunes Connect Mobile and Apple Store apps, Apple has also made . Find My iPhone is a bit of a misnomer, however, since the universal iOS app can find both iPhones and iPads registered to your MobileMe account. The app will run on any iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, and allow you to log in to your account to track a missing device, display a message on its screen, set the passcode lock, or wipe all its data.

Safari 5 includes a new secure browser extension system that is similar in many respects to and plugin. Plugins are created completely in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, and Apple takes great pains to differentiate extensions from plug-ins. Safari plug-ins are solely for supporting new media types within the browser (Flash, Quicktime, et cetera) whereas extensions are for adding new functionality to the browser itself.

The first iteration of the extension system allows developers to add features to a number of carefully controlled places within the application. Developers can create toolbars, add items to contextual menus, manipulate windows and tabs, add toolbar buttons, and manipulate and extract content within webpages themselves. Extensions can also selectively inspect and filter resources and deny them from loading.

Analysis of Apple's A4 didn't stop in the month after the iPad's launch—a number of groups have continued to poke, prod, and photograph Apple's chip, looking for insight into a question that will be familiar to longtime Apple watchers who remember the 68K and PowerPC eras. That question is this: what, exactly, is Apple's processor strategy?

In the current mobile space, just as in the desktop PC space of the pre-Intel era, that larger question of strategy implies a host of smaller questions, like just how much influence do Apple's in-house hardware teams exert over the designs, and where is that influence manifested? What is Apple's long-term plan for playing in the hardware market, and does the company really expect to pit its boutique, Apple-specific designs against the wider commodity market and win?

If you buy an iPhone 4 or 3GS from Apple in the US or another country where the iPhone is only available on a single mobile network, that iPhone will only work with the carrier in question. But if you buy one directly from Apple in France, Canada, or the UK (at unsubsidized prices), it will work with any compatible network worldwide.

Unlike in the US, where "iPhone requires a two-year AT&T wireless service contract," iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 buyers in the UK and France can get an unlocked iPhone directly from Apple itself. They can then sign up with any carrier that offers a compatible contract. But that's not all. The UK Apple Store page reads :

It works internationally.
Because this iPhone is SIM-free, you can purchase a micro-SIM or SIM card and service from a local carrier at your destination. Or check with your home carrier regarding international roaming charges.

The French and Canadian stores have text to the same effect; if you buy an iPhone from Apple in Britain, France, or Canada, you can use it with compatible mobile networks anywhere in the world. This makes it possible to change mobile operators within the country or use a local one while traveling, avoiding hefty international roaming charges. 

This freedom does come with a price, though: in the UK, the flagship 32GB iPhone 4 costs no less than £599, the 16GB version £499, and the 8GB iPhone 3GS £419. In , the prices are €739, €629, and €519, respectively. This is roughly $885, $737, and $619 for the UK iPhones and $907, $772, and $637 for the French ones—including VAT/sales tax. In Canada, there are , but: "iPhone may also be available at a reduced initial price with a contract directly from your wireless carrier."

Buying an unlocked iPhone directly from Apple may or may not make sense: the phone is much more expensive, but it may be possible to get a cheaper plan. In the past, of course, mobile operators have been very successful at selling "cheap" subsidized phones with expensive plans. Orange in the UK, for instance, offers a range including one for £35 per month, which reduces the price of the 32GB iPhone 4 to £219 with a two-year contract. This plan comes with 600 minutes and "unlimited" mobile browsing—limited to 750MB per month. 

It's also possible to get a SIM-only plan for £20 with 500 minutes and 500MB. With the two-year contract, the total costs add up to £1,059, while two years worth of the SIM-only plan and the unsubsidized 32GB iPhone 4 add up to £1,079. But with the SIM-only plan you get to change plans when cheaper ones become available—even from another mobile operator.

For those of us who reside in countries where Apple still has an exclusive deal with a single mobile operator, ordering from Apple in Canada, France, or Britain isn't going to work: "Orders placed through this Apple Online Store can be shipped only within the country of purchase." Then again, that's why we have eBay.

Predicting the future of technology is a tricky business—just ask —but the allure of prognostication is strong. I've been known to try my hand at it. Sometimes I get a good read on things, like in 2008 when I wrote, "." Vague, humorously hyperbolic, and with no explicit timescale: all the essential ingredients of a successful prediction.

Other times, I'm not so lucky. Five years ago, I wrote a three-part series of articles entitled . This time, the message was earnest, specific, and had a year right in the title. In other words, a perfect setup for failure. Well, here we are in the year 2010—the future!—so it's time for me to take my lumps…or perhaps crow triumphantly? But first things first. What was this "Copland 2010" thing about, anyway?