An Apple patent (number 20100223563) for remotely defining an user interface for a handheld device has appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office. It involves using your Mac to arrange the icons on an idevice and also thinks at an Apple watch, though I’m not holding my breath on this.
In some embodiments, a host computer can be used by a user to arrange icons among a plurality of home screens or views. For example, a representation of each of the home screens available at a handheld device can be displayed on a host computer along with a representation of the available icons usable at the handheld device. A user can select representation of icons at the host computer and arrange the icons among the representations of the home screens. Icons and/or home screens can be added and/or removed. The arrangement created by the user at the host computer display can be sent to the handheld device when completed. James Green is the inventor.
Here’s Apple’s background and summary of the invention: “Handheld devices such as PDAs, smartphones, and watches have become ubiquitous. These devices are equipped with various graphical user interfaces that can display an arrangement of objects representing applications, documents, media, etc. on one or more views of a mobile computing device. Views can display an arrangement of objects or icons on a display of a mobile computing device to a user for their selection. When an object is selected, the application can be executed, the document can be opened, the media can be displayed, etc. A number of views can be used to arrange a large number of icons for selection by a user.
“In some embodiments of the invention, a host computer can be used by a user to manage the arrangement of one or more objects for a handheld device such as a mobile computing device. For example, a representation of each of the views available at a handheld device can be displayed on a host computer along with a representation of the available icons usable at the handheld device. A user can select a representation of icons at the host computer and arrange the icons among the representations of the views. Representations of icons and/or views can be added and/or removed. The arrangement created by the user at the host computer display can be sent to the handheld device when completed.”