An Observation
Letterboxx exists because I have been saving, reading, losing, rediscovering, and obsessing over online writing since the late 1990s. RSS feeds, blogs, long-form essays, newsletters, little updates from people doing interesting work: I have always loved that world.
But newsletters landed in the one place that was never built to love them back: the inbox.
An inbox is where chores go. Password resets. Receipts. Dentist reminders. Work threads. Little obligations with sharp elbows. Newsletters are different. They are essays, updates, ideas, deals, dispatches, rituals, and the occasional thing you absolutely meant to read three Tuesdays ago. They deserve a calmer room.
Newsletters should feel collected instead of scattered.
The Apple World
Part of the reason behind Letterboxx goes back to 2002. At the time, I was working in IT, helping manage large Windows deployments with Microsoft SMS and handling antivirus rollouts across the company. Computers were useful, but the work often felt operational: maintenance, patching, cleanup, repeat.
Then I bought a used first-generation iPod on eBay. A few weeks later, I picked up a used G4 iMac.
That was not the most practical family-budget decision. We had a 6-year-old, a 17-month-old, and not a lot of extra money lying around for non-necessities. But my wife has always been amazing about supporting my weird ideas, even when they probably sounded a little ridiculous.
That whole Apple world rewired my brain. The hardware, OS X, the industrial design, the animations, and the feeling that everything had been thoughtfully connected changed what I thought technology could be and what software should be.
Building Software with and without Compromise
For the last 20 years, I have been lucky enough to help build web and mobile software with a lot of talented teams. I love making things with other people.
Letterboxx is different because it is the first software product I have released entirely on my own. Nothing but me and my thoughts on what this app should be, what it should look like, and how it should work.
For better or worse, that means every detail was shaped around what I honestly think makes the experience better. Letterboxx can be more personal, more opinionated, more Mac-like, and a little more playful than software usually gets to be.
The App I Wanted
I built Letterboxx as the email newsletter reader I wanted: a Mac-first reading library for people who love newsletters but do not want them buried beside urgent mail.
It is meant to give newsletters a better home:
- a local-first reading library instead of a full Mail replacement
- a Mac-first app that feels native and responsive
- a calmer place for newsletters, separate from the urgency of normal email
- typography and reader details that make long-form reading feel cared for
- privacy-aware defaults that respect the reader
- playful interaction details inspired by classic OS X-era software
Email can keep doing mail. Letterboxx gives newsletters a real home.
Still Being Shaped
The goal is not to turn Letterboxx into a generic productivity tool or a full email client. Its center of gravity remains specific: a personal, thoughtful, Mac-first reading space for newsletters and other low-urgency subscribed writing.
The work continues one release at a time, guided by the same idea that started it: reading deserves software designed for reading.