Apple working on 3D Mac OS X user interface (images)
A series of Apple patent filings published this week reveal the Mac maker has spent a considerable amount of time outlining a new multi-dimensional interface for Mac OS X that would make better use of screen real estate by increasing the number of virtual surfaces capable of housing application and interface elements.
The most extensive of those filings is labeled "Multi-Dimensional Desktop" and was submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office back in June of last year, around the same time the company took the wraps off the feature set for its upcoming release of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
None of the latest interface enhancements described in the June patent are present in current pre-release builds of Snow Leopard, however, suggesting they'll be candidates for inclusion in versions of Mac OS X that would surface in years to come.
