Apple Patent for Multi-User Run-Anywhere Widgets

An updated patent application may shed some light on Apple's future plans for widgets, the helpful little desktop accessories many of us have grown used to in the Mac OS X Dashboard. The application, entitled "Workflow Widgets," talks about widgets that live in the cloud and be shared by multiple computers, including Macs, Windows and Linux machines as well as mobile devices. Given that Apple specifically prohibited widget apps in its latest App Store guidelines, this may indicate a new focus on widgets in iOS as well as Mac OS X.