The more I read, the more the evidence is mounting that the long term road-map for OS X is convergence with iOS. Not next week, not next year, but it's coming. Closed is the new open, And that's a bad thing for developers and users alike.

None of the evidence by itself is particularly startling - in many cases taking what works for the iPad and bringing it to the Mac makes good sense, but taken together, it paints a picture for where the OS and its eco-system is heading.

First the Mac App Store:

Apple’s Mac App Store Opens for Business http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/01/06macappstore.html

There has been much debate already about what this means for developers, and Apple taking control of what developers can or can't do, sets a new price bar, and gives Apple a chunk of the revenue. So long as the platform remains open, it's still possible to step around Apple, but getting market share is going to be harder. iWay or the highway?

iPad style Launchpad http://www.apple.com/macosx/lion/#gallery-launchpad

Just a neat way to launch Apps? Maybe, but its a step to moving Finder (the desktop) to being a second class citizen. What follows that?

Full Screen Apps http://www.apple.com/macosx/lion/#gallery-fullscreen

So now we don't need to return to the desktop to switch between Apps. How long before we can't return, because it's not there any more? Similarly, the Four Finger Swipe to switch between apps is coming to the Pad - it's already there in Dev mode.

Apple removes Samba from Mac OS X 10.7 Server http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/03/23/inside_mac_os_x_10_7_lion_server_apple_replaces_samba_for_windows_networking_services.html

So this is where it gets a bit more sinister. OS X has had Samba support since day one, but with Lion it's being replaced with something developed in house. The reason? GPLv3 and the "right to tinker". If users have the right to tinker, then there has to be a way to poke around the OS to do the tinkering. If you're planning on removing that access, first you have to remove software whose licensing requires it.

And finally:

Bertrand Serlet to Leave Apple http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/03/23serlet.html

Read into that what you will...

Do you agree?