Wrap meta boxes & data handling for specific post types in classes?

Not really a complete answer, but since this question’s become a ghost town I thought it was worth adding.

$post_type = get_current_screen()->id; // when on post.php or post-new.php

It’s been around for a while, but with 3.3’s much improved screen API I can see this opening a new world of easier, on-demand loading.