Apple's Dashboard Widget Download Site for OS X Broken

[Robellyn]

What if 'dashboard' became a new iOS interface within OS X? Swipe to access all your iOS apps, right on your Mac! And with iCloud, resume right where you were in the app.

Ha ha! Yes, just like Windows 8 did with it's 'modern' interface!

And while I think it's a brilliant idea, public opinion seems to think it's the anathema of the operating system world.

 

[solamar]

Widgets & Apple

I honestly think Widgets would be much more popular if the OS X App Store promoted them and allowed a person to search for and developers to publish Widgets to the store.

I also think a similar 'widgets' for iOS would be popular.. a separate screen that a person could put stocks, weather, tool widgets, etc..

Done the Apple way, I think it would still work well. They just have allowed it to die w/o giving users a real chance to to use it under the new app store system. Not many know about it otherwise..

 

[Prodo123]

I still use dashboard frequently for weather and world clocks.

I hope they don't let it die, or kill it!

I use it for quick-access movie times and calculator. I know this one widget that is a full featured scientific calculator and it's saved me tons of time. There's also iStat, which isn't particularly useful but handy to have. And the world clock, almost indispensable.

 

[BanterClaus]

Hope they don't kill it. I use it regularly for currency conversion, different time zone checking, and weather.

 

[swingerofbirch]

I noticed their web apps page hasn't been updated since 2010, either, with many links that are now broken. The worst part of the web apps page is that it was never itself turned into a mobile site. It's pretty difficult to navigate on an iPhone. Apple is not like other companies that keeps teams on a broad portfolio of services and ideas. They seem to have fairly singular focus and let other things fall by the wayside.

 

[petsounds]

Widgets have, however, fallen out of fashion with Mac users

According to whom? I use the Dashboard many times each day to check stocks and weather, as well use the Dictionary/Thesaurus, calendar, and world clocks. Oh, and APOD and iStat Pro.

 

[jacg]

Long live Dashboard!

I've always loved Dashboard. I use the Safari Webclip function to create an excellent weather widget. I have a number of very useful widgets, such as a really quick timer, unit converter and Lorum Ipsum generator. I have to use the Safari Webclip function to hold images (such as timetables) for quick and easy reference, because in mountain lion I can't seem to use any of the image viewing widgets any more (drag n drop doesn't work).

I hope Dashboard keeps the option to stay as a floating layer, where I like it best. I would pay for good quality, maintained widgets so yes, an App Store model makes sense.

I can't believe anyone used the Apple Widget site - there's no search function so unless you knew exactly which category to look in and had plenty of time, it was useless as a repository. Just use google or MacUpdate or something.

 

[portishead]

Yes, so just because YOU don't use them, Apple should get rid of them? I use many widgets every day. Calculator, dictionary, stickies, converter and color picker, plus others. All these features are just a gesture away.

I'm glad you found them useful, but I think I should say - Apple should implement them differently. It's not a great feature as currently implemented. Just because 3% of users use widgets a lot doesn't make them worth using. Yes I made that number up.

 

[erio]

I noticed their web apps page hasn't been updated since 2010, either, with many links that are now broken. The worst part of the web apps page is that it was never itself turned into a mobile site. It's pretty difficult to navigate on an iPhone. Apple is not like other companies that keeps teams on a broad portfolio of services and ideas. They seem to have fairly singular focus and let other things fall by the wayside.

They should use interns to update their site!

 

[Silvereel]

I honestly think Widgets would be much more popular if the OS X App Store promoted them and allowed a person to search for and developers to publish Widgets to the store.

Yeah, I love Dashboard. I realize that a lot of people couldn't care less, but it has its uses. iStat, Live Radar, stocks... I really love having it around. I hope that at the very least Apple doesn't kill it, even if they do continue to let it languish. What I would really like to see, though, is them bringing out all of its potential, and breathing some new life into it through the App Store.

 

[Edgecrusherr]

If Dashboard failed, it's Apple's fault for not fostering it's growth. I'm pretty sure Dashboard's widgets is what gave them the general idea for the iPhone's home screen and small apps—they're basically widgets. Dashboard launched in 10.4, and 10.5 was delayed because of the iPhone.

Why now a Dashboard Widget Store? I do like the idea someone said of iOS apps in the Dashboard, that's a great idea! I know my Mac could easily emulate ARM, and I'm sure it would be pretty easy to compile it for Mac instead (that what's going on when you test iOS apps on your mac anyway, right?).

I use the following every day of my life at home and at work:
Calculator (both Apple's and PCalc)
Calendar
Weather
Stickies
Translator
Units
iStat Nano

 

[Mums]

I use Dashboard all the time for the calendar, dictionary, iStat, calculator, and unit converter. I can't believe Apple is letting it go.

I NEVER use launchpad. I do use multiple screens constantly (whatever that's called).

 

[Freyqq]

site seems to work fine now

 

[lotones]

from my cold, dead hands, etc...

 

[star-affinity]

Maybe Apple is moving the Widgets to the App Store?

It just struck me. Hopefully they're not discontinuing support at least.

 

[Risco]

I never use the dashboard, totally useless.

 

[star-affinity]

I never use the dashboard, totally useless.

No, it's not. At least not objectively. I'll bet you haven't really given it a chance.

Saying that Dashboard is totally useless is almost like saying a computer is useless. It's true for some, but there's so much you can do with it that it becomes a little wired calling it ”totally useless”.

 

[coolspot18]

But wait! I thought everyone wanted widgets!

They do, but only if they're implemented correctly. OSX widgets are slow on first load and are on a separate screen which takes effort to switch to. It's Apple's implementation that was a failure.

 

[SurfSpirit]

It's a Geo Location Blackout!

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

If you use a U.S.A. Proxy it will download files, if you are from Europe, tried Germany and Portugal ip addresses it will redirect to http://www.apple.com/downloads/

If it's apple Webmasters mistake or Apple killing Dashboard widgets for the rest of the World, I do not know.
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iQEcBAEBAgAGBQJRqirvAAoJEKGy3OtbQR0rLZ0IAItJqTEifB834ikjnV7WBuYF
22pjkdFsoDsAYyl5ptxh7UwAgJNxjfGIr4qj4V2+3KTADKkRAuz6SK3Gj7D9i+bh
IFNzA3UYF8fnmDZpwtwSh3uUPaIAFZgqrwZJZbQbF9aWTrFdm4KWwfShktBq+4Pb
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QvK78z6zYNagp2rd7ZWOncEnJHaoduCftE3gALNGKlL+qVyPGgLz7zRd0KCrNaOP
kz9ADhTBJRxjY75+CI4PbKIOZs63oeGOLpNfQN4FCWFD8PiN9vYG8rM/Qc/Ttis=
=VftD
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

 

[macnisse]

I want a widget where I can put all of my widgets ;-)

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I use Dashboard all the time for the calendar, dictionary, iStat, calculator, and unit converter. I can't believe Apple is letting it go.

I NEVER use launchpad. I do use multiple screens constantly (whatever that's called).

Same here! There is definitely a crowd of people actually using dashboard widgets. Hopefully apple will not kill it but rather improve it.

 

[ravenvii]

They do, but only if they're implemented correctly. OSX widgets are slow on first load and are on a separate screen which takes effort to switch to. It's Apple's implementation that was a failure.

On the other hand, Microsoft put it directly on the desktop. No separate screen, no effort to access.

That, too, was a failure.

What implementation would be a success in your eyes?

 

[szw-mapple fan]

It's back online!

 

[iMacFarlane]

Except iOS apps don't run on OS X due to different processor architectures.

You ever mess around with the iPhone/iPad simulator in xCode? Some minor tweaks and integration into the UI, and the deal is done.

It's more a matter of using a touch interface without the ability to, er, touch, that'll keep this from happening, I think.

 

[keepaheadback]

123

Except iOS apps don't run on OS X due to different processor architectures.

 

[xSinghx]

I use dashboard way more than I ever touch launchpad.

-Yellow Stickies
-Dictionary
-Calculator
-Weather

If anything launchpad is redundant if you use the dock.