We’re all aware that the Dashboard hasn’t gotten much love since it was released. It was hyped up by Steve as well as the community, but we’ve seen that the Dashboard is just spinning its wheels. Well, with 10.7 Lion, Exposé, Spaces, and the Dashboard will all be merged together into a management area call Mission Control.
Here is how Apple describes it:
Mission Control is a powerful and handy new feature that provides you with a comprehensive view of what’s running on your Mac. It gives you a bird’s-eye view of everything — including Exposé, Spaces, Dashboard, and full-screen apps— all in one place. With a simple swipe gesture, your desktop zooms out to Mission Control. There you can see your open windows grouped by app, thumbnails of your full-screen apps, Dashboard, and even other Spaces, arranged in a unified view. And you can get to anything you see on Mission Control with just one click. Making you the master of all you survey. —Apple
With Dashboard in a more prominent light, and the potential of a dedicated distribution channel through the Mac App Store, it is possible that 10.7 Lion might just be the return of the Dashboard. If Apple lets developers distribute and sell their Dashboard widgets next to other apps, there is a lot of potential for really great work. I would welcome innovation in the space, and I’m sure most Mac enthusiasts would too.
What do you think about the future of the Dashboard? Will it be reinvigorated in 10.7, or will it die out? I want to hear what yo have to say, so leave a comment on this post.
