Apple Still Aims To Allow iPad Apps To Run on Macs This Year (axios.com)

Apple's push for performance and security improvements over new features will also apply to this year's Mac software, Axios reported on Wednesday, but one key feature remains on the roadmap for 2018: The ability for Macs to run iPad apps. From the report: On the Mac side, this is taking the form of a new project around security as well as improvements in performance when waking and unlocking the system. While users would certainly welcome changes that make their systems run better and more securely, customers tend to be more motivated to make purchases based on new features rather than promised improvements around security or performance, which can be tough to judge. The signature new feature for the Mac -- the ability to run iPad apps -- is a significant undertaking that adds a high degree of complexity to this year's OS release.

Comments

I would bet not an ARM emulator

[jtara]

I would bet it will not be an ARM emulator.

Apple already has iOS ported to X86 and has forever. It's used by developers when testing on the iOS simulator running on MacOS. The simulator doesn't run ARM code. It runs X86 code.

Apple would likely give developers the option of including X86 platform support in their build. Developers could OPT IN to releasing on macOS. You already build for two different ARM platforms.

There is nothing revolutionary here. Just a new build option and some new App Store/ITunesConnect functionality.

I'm a cross-platform developer. I write apps that run on iOS and Android. On Android, it uses the NDK (native development kit) and I build for both ARM and X86. (Because some Android tablets are X86). What Apple is proposing is likely not much different.

Apple wouldn't likely provide an ARM emulator, because the performance would suck.

Every time Apple comes out with a new XCode version, they say "jump", and developers respond with "how high?". Or... not agaaaaainnnnn!