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

Posted by msmash on from the coming-next dept.

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.

6 of 63 comments (clear)

  1. My Mac already does this.... by Kenja · · Score: 2

    There's an iOS device emulator included with XCode.

    --

    "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
    1. Re:My Mac already does this.... by dgatwood · · Score: 2

      To be fair, that is running CocoaTouch compiled natively for x86_64. I would assume this would have an ARM emulator (until everyone had recompiled and shipped their iPad apps to contain an x86 target)

      Well, they could do that, but why would Apple spend months of effort building a sufficiently fast emulator, just so users can run ancient iOS apps that nobody cares enough about to maintain? If they cared about keeping old apps running without recompiling, we would still be able to run 32-bit iOS apps on iOS itself. Besides, they've already culled most of those old apps, which means that almost everything that you can download from the iOS App Store today is properly maintained.

      No, if they do this, I would imagine it will consist of:

      • Tweaking Xcode so that universal builds include a simulator slice.
      • Removing all device-only restrictions that prevent using certain features in the simulator (and adding macOS support for the features, where necessary).
      • Adding code to the Mac App Store to make it talk to the iOS App Store, showing only apps that have a simulator slice.
      • Modifying the iOS App Store to not reject binaries that contain a simulator slice.
      • Modifying the simulator and underlying iOS bits so that you can have multiple apps running in multiple windows, sharing underlying storage, ideally with each app having its own menu bar and showing up independently in Command-Tab/Dock/*.
      • Optionally adding menu bar classes to iOS so that iOS apps can modify their menu bar when running on Macs, and optionally making that available on actual iOS devices as well.
      • Telling developers to rebuild and resubmit their apps.

      And the problem of not having x86_64 simulator slices will take care of itself within three months without having to develop an arm64 emulator. The only way I could see Apple building any sort of emulator would be if they decided to do the reverse—allowing Mac apps to run on iPad Pro.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

  2. I would bet not an ARM emulator by jtara · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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!

  3. Re:Say Goodbye to the mac. by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 2

    OS X is dead. It's macOS now. Which mean's it's going to be iMac OS.

    People have been saying that since OS X 10.7, you realize. And here we are at macOS 10.13 (SIX major revisions later!) and it STILL hasn't happened to any great extent.

    STFU.

  4. Re:No thanks by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 2

    Apps I can"t ever roll back, have zero control over and where any update may break/change the app fundamentally and there is nothing you can do about it? Yea, no thanks. I don't care if it is the future I like my MacBook as is.

    WTF are you bleating about?

  5. They are doing no such thing by Andreas+Mayer · · Score: 4, Informative

    What Apple might bring, is the ability to create an application that runs on either device. But that application will have to be developed to explicitly support both, macOS and iOS devices. It will have to be able to handle a UI with either mouse or touch.

    In essence, there will be one entry in the App Store and if you download the app you'll get the variant suitable for your device.

    A Mac will not be able to just run any old iPad app.

    Source ... well, just ask anyone with a clue about macOS/iOS development.