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Will OSX Lion be able to run iOS (iPhone) apps?

C

CamCracker

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 27, 2009
28
0
I have seen on other websites and forums that 10.7 will be able to run iPhone apps "natively". Maybe they thought that when they heard that OSX would get an app store, like the mac app store that's out now, Lion would be able to run iOS apps (All the apps in the iPhones app store).

Will Mac be able to run iPhone apps "natively" or is this all just a misunderstanding of the app store for mac? :confused:
 
No. Even if there was some chance of being able to run iOS apps, they'll never run "natively," as they're compiled for ARM processors, while the Mac uses the x64 architecture. Apple hasn't announced, nor are they expected to announce, any plans to allow iOS apps to run directly on the Mac anyways. I'd rather it stay that way. iOS apps are designed for a small touchscreen, not a traditional computer OS.

jW
 
No. How would accelerometer and multitouch work on an iMac?
 
Dalton63841 said:
Don't developers have a type of "emulator" to do this?
Click to expand...
I assume when you compile for the iPhone Simulator, it is compiled for an Intel processor, not the ARM in an iPhone. I could be wrong, but I don't think the emulate the ARM like Rosetta emulates the PPC.
 
PurdueGuy said:
I assume when you compile for the iPhone Simulator, it is compiled for an Intel processor, not the ARM in an iPhone. I could be wrong, but I don't think the emulate the ARM like Rosetta emulates the PPC.
Click to expand...

Im pretty sure the iPhone Simulator would emulate ARM, as running it on a Intel Version wouldnt simulate it particularly well (Same as I doubt Apple would make an Intel iOS just for devs - writing a emulation layer is easier => cheaper => better business sense.)
 
Maybe there will be a integrated "virtual ios", like Microsoft did with windows7 (win7 can run xp virtually - native feature of win7 ultimate).
 
matkap said:
Maybe there will be a integrated "virtual ios", like Microsoft did with windows7 (win7 can run xp virtually - native feature of win7 ultimate).
Click to expand...

that's not a bad idea:) would be a good selling point for the os
 
From my perspective, regardless of ARM/Intel x64 platforms, it seems Apple may be blurring the lines between OS X and iOS. Over the years since the iPhone and iOS App Store release, Apple has gradually increased focus on iOS (I remember when MacRumors was abuzz with OS X 10.4/.5/.6 beta news). Could Apple code an iOS-like desktop environment, and blend the iOS/OS X App Store? There is talk that the Apple TV 2 may have an App Store. IDK, with the 20"/23"/30" CCFL LCD dedicated LCD line being replaced by slimmed down iMac panels, Shake being dropped, Final Cut Pro developments lacking, lack of 10.7 beta releases for developers and only one bit of news in a year on OS X, Apple seems more interested in iOS. Current programming and possibilities aside, who knows if Apple will switch processors/coding/etc and blur these lines.
 
bedifferent said:
From my perspective, regardless of ARM/Intel x64 platforms, it seems Apple may be blurring the lines between OS X and iOS. Over the years since the iPhone and iOS App Store release, Apple has gradually increased focus on iOS (I remember when MacRumors was abuzz with OS X 10.4/.5/.6 beta news). Could Apple code an iOS-like desktop environment, and blend the iOS/OS X App Store? There is talk that the Apple TV 2 may have an App Store. IDK, with the 20"/23"/30" CCFL LCD dedicated LCD line being replaced by slimmed down iMac panels, Shake being dropped, Final Cut Pro developments lacking, lack of 10.7 beta releases for developers and only one bit of news in a year on OS X, Apple seems more interested in iOS. Current programming and possibilities aside, who knows if Apple will switch processors/coding/etc and blur these lines.
Click to expand...

The reason Apple dropped Shake was because they werent making money from it (When everyone has bought the licenses they need and there isnt a chance of it being improved because Apple cba - there isnt a market - and noone was really picking it up at the end because its end was kindve obvious, and to develop Shake 5 wouldve kept the competition with Motion going (I have Shake 4 via a Academic License, and Ive transferred over to Motion 4 as Shake only does a few things better in terms of what I actually used). Final Cut Pro is in development, as their hiring for the team, however I suspect they may be finally rewriting it as Final Cut Pro X - Finally Final Cut Pro can work with more than 4 cores efficiently.
 
chrismacguy said:
Im pretty sure the iPhone Simulator would emulate ARM, as running it on a Intel Version wouldnt simulate it particularly well (Same as I doubt Apple would make an Intel iOS just for devs - writing a emulation layer is easier => cheaper => better business sense.)
Click to expand...

As I understand Apple did something even more cost effective. They invested a whole cash and gave a few guys day jobs to work on the LLVM open source project.

Using the LLVM compiler chain they don't fully produce ARM or x86 code but code for a VirtualMachine that can then be translated on the fly to either platform. On Macs the shipping code can stay in this Universal format as the runtime VM has optimisation built in. Also if the LLVM team improves the quality of the runtime then the Application can take advantage of those improvements without any updates.

On an ARM device the hit of running the VM might be noticed so they probably go the final step and comply full native code for the shipping product. I was of the impression that the simulator was a build of iOS and the test APP that was left in LLVM code.

As for well true iOS apps running on a Mac I don't think it's likely. I don't think the two OS will ever merge enough to make that happen, they have very different modes of working and developers should always focus on how those modes effect their product.

I do think the Two OS will align, so that iOS becomes a true sub-set of OS X instead of the branch that it is now. Part of that should be an alignment of OSX AppKit and iOS UIKit so that a developer can target both with minimal code changes. Ideally they get to a point that using the Model-View-Controller design pattern the Mac Version has only additional instead of replacement Controllers and Views.
 
MattInOz said:
I do think the Two OS will align, so that iOS becomes a true sub-set of OS X instead of the branch that it is now. Part of that should be an alignment of OSX AppKit and iOS UIKit so that a developer can target both with minimal code changes. Ideally they get to a point that using the Model-View-Controller design pattern the Mac Version has only additional instead of replacement Controllers and Views.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I attempted to state. It seems a logical conclusion based on the direction Apple seems to be headed.

A friend of mine is working with Apple on FCP (was just hired a few mo's back, as a documentary film maker), it's not going to be Final Cut Pro X, the adjustments are minor but will make better use of multi-core systems. Just don't expect a major overhaul to compete alongside Premiere Pro and Avid. As for Shake, Apple took a great program and dumbed it down to fit it into Motion, it's not nearly as rich as Shake. Apple seems to be cutting down on OS X based development by combining departments, and thereby cutting down on Pro-sumer market products.

It's a small iOS world after all.
 
bedifferent said:
Apple seems to be cutting down on OS X based development by combining departments, and thereby cutting down on Pro-sumer market products.

It's a small iOS world after all.
Click to expand...

Really it's seems to me Apple have seen the opportunity with iOS device roadmap to ask the question of all the techy guys "If you where starting from scratch today would the solution be what we have or something different?"

Where the answer is Something different it seems those teams have tackled the build from scratch in iOS so they can build it up piecemeal with a live test bed till they get a full solution that will then replace the legacy in OSX.
AVfoundation in iOS seems to be the prefect example. With many comments once it public API on iOS on how Final Cut should be built on this not QT. We know this API will be public in Lion (so is likely running internal in SL builds) and new Final Cut is coming.

Where the answer is much the same they've made improvements and streamlining OSX side, till it can translate to iOS. Good for bringing ideas that are processor intensive online.

I think this why Apple will keep the two. iOS always light and task at hand focused. OS X project focused where you sit down and concentrate on something for a few hours. As both represent very different innovation opportunity paths and Apple market strategy means they need to keep innovating. Putting a road block in that by merging would be bad, where having two OS's that can branch and align makes taking advantage of new ideas easy.
 
Quite bluntly, I don't have as much knowledge as the other members here do, but I think Apple allowing iOS apps to be run on their Desktop Computer would be a disadvantage of them. There are several hundred apps available on iOS that are available on the App Store (ie. Angry Birds). Rather than letting them operate iOS games on a Mac, they would only allow consumers to purchase the app specifically designed for a Mac via their newly released Mac App Store.

I wouldn't get my hopes for an official release from Apple. There may be discoveries that allow desktop computer users to run their mobile apps on their Mac. ;)
 
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