First, if you have the Widgets app, there’s a highly detailed tutorial on Photics.TV (YouTube). It’s the longest video on the channel so far. Widgets is a powerful app, but it’s like a wristwatch with 100 dials. It’s complicated! The video was created as documentation of the app’s numerous features. This type of information is even more important now, as Widgets 4.0 was just released. It’s a big update!
History repeats itself. I remember when the original iMacs were launched. The first one was bluish. Soon after, they were colorful like a box of cereal for kids. I didn’t consider the iMac a serious computer, but it helped Apple become the powerhouse that they are today. But for a while, Apple forgot about their colorful history. Everything was metallic, which is cool. I like the clean and simple look of a modern Mac.
However, people like colors. This was a problem for the Widgets app, as all of the widgets were the same color. With so many widgets on the screen at the same time, it was getting confusing. Which such a similar appearance, it was getting tough to quickly spot a specific widget.
So, one of the big features for version 4.0 is the ability to set a custom color themes for each widget. The result is amazing!
![Widgets Dark Mode With Colors](/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/widgets-dark-mode-with-colors-scaled.jpg")
The app looks so much better with more color. That screenshot shows the app in dark mode. You can select a color theme for a widget, but it changes if the dark mode theme (“Midnight”) is selected. And since color themes are such a big part of Widgets, two more themes — Grassy (Green) & Lila (Purple) — were added.
With the 2021 iMac, Apple has returned to their colorful roots, as the iMac is available in many different and vivid colors. That’s what’s really neat about this update. If you bought a green iMac, the Widgets app can be customized to match that look.
Also, lots of people have been asking for multiple copies of widgets. Specifically, the calculator is the most requested copy. So, the “Quick Calculator” widget was added. It’s similar to the original calculator, except this new version can show the recent history of calculations.
Before addressing this issue, I wondered — WHY? Why do people need more than one calculator? I figure it’s because people want access to previously calculated results. So, the scrollable window in the “Second Calculator” should help.
However, there is another mode to the Quick Calculator Widget. It’s “Quick: Percentage”. This makes it very easy to calculate percentages. Previously, to calculate percentages, I was asking Siri or going to Wolfram Alpha. Now, I don’t have to do that. The new widget is very handy!
The Widgets app is now over two years old. A lot has changed since the app first launched. Hopefully these new improvements help you. More information about the version 4.0 update is available on the app listing page on the Mac App Store.