[dragonwriter]

So does Android. Of course, when you are using the phone, you aren't always at the lock screen. iOS has the swipe-up on the homescreen to get music controls, which, while its a different access method than widgets, is a clear indication that someone at Apple thinks that something besides "lock screen" and "launch the app" is useful.

Widgets are a more general solution, and suit the fact that users have different things that they want that kind of quick access to.