6 ms·

Running iOS apps on the M1 Macs feels like such a game changer. Literally too cause a lot of games have been ported to iOS and now you can easily run them on Ma

Running iOS apps on the M1 Macs feels like such a game changer. Literally too cause a lot of games have been ported to iOS and now you can easily run them on Macs that were not possible before (Final Fantasy franchise for example). People can now play PUBG (although the mobile version but still). Fortnite (which have been removed but if you have downloaded it before you can still play it). And so many other games. I think the whole thing is not just a step but a huge leap forward. I really wonder what the future holds, just looking at the performance of the M1 chips. Wishful thinking but the fact that the Switch is also on the ARM platform I hope we will see more games on Mac. This feels like the 2007 iPhone moment again.

lastofthemojito 6y ago
I wonder if any game (or other) developers are going to have major heartburn over this. "Woah, pricing/releasing this game this way was part of our mobile strategy, not our desktop strategy - how dare you run that game on a computer!" I know not all iOS apps target all devices - some are iPad only, etc. Is Apple allowing developers to arbitrarily prevent their apps from running on Macs? Can an app tell it's running on a Mac rather than an iPad?
- saagarjha 6y ago
  They'll just disable downloading it on macOS.
- snazz 6y ago
  Android apps already run on Chromebooks, so maybe this situation has already come up? The performance is certainly better on M1 Macs, but the same situation is possible.
- izerik 6y ago
  You can opt out of them being available on the Mac. “All iPhone apps and iPad apps that run on Apple silicon Macs will be published automatically on the Mac App Store, unless you edit their availability. Edit Availability | Learn More”
  - Razengan 6y ago
    In that case it's yet another case of some developers choosing to screw users over by crippling the features that Apple wanted to be available for everyone by default :( (Fuck Google in particular for actively hindering iOS Picture-in-Picture for years)
- grecy 6y ago
  I also have to think some apps just won't be nice to use without a touch interface
- kall 6y ago
  I‘m sure audio software developers will love it. FabFilter Pro Q costs 149€ on Mac and 33€ iOS, probably because they assume you can‘t really use it in a studio, which you suddenly could. I‘m sure most developers will opt out soon enough though and who knows if it even works for Audio Units.
  - ratww 6y ago
    The Mac version being a plugin rather than an app makes a lot of difference, enough to make the price difference worth it, IMO.
rasz 6y ago
Comparing Phone games to desktop ones is like comparing Modern art to finger painting. Sure, it kinda does look like Starry Night at first glance, but is it?
- haunter 6y ago
  >Comparing Phone games to desktop ones Yeah but where is the border? There are lot of games on iOS that are basically the same as on PC/consoles maybe with a different UI and lower graphics. But you get the same features and experience. You can now play GTA San Andreas on your Mac cause it was released on iOS. And it's one of the best game ever https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas/id763692274 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas/i... Genshin Impact which is currently one of the hottest game? https://apps.apple.com/us/app/genshin-impact/id1517783697 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/genshin-impact/id1517783697 I see no difference really
  - DennisAleynikov 6y ago
    genshin impact basically sealed the deal for me no point buying a nintendo switch much less a proper mac. I can get by with non-apple silicon arm Chromebooks like the wonderful lenovo duet
    - himinlomax 6y ago
      Seal the deal? It looks like a crappy pay-to-win mobile game.
      - DennisAleynikov 6y ago
        pay to win what exactly? its a ripoff of breath of the wild, and doesn't seem to have a clear winning state especially in the free single player campaign. macos probably runs this now given its pretty popular on iPad right now. Open world games usually only launch on consoles/PC but unreal engine allows games like this to arrive on mobile platforms as well. mobile games need to lose some of the stigma when they keep gaining console like titles in the app stores
gazelleeatslion 6y ago
100% agree. We still need to know two important things: - Notification system integration - File management integration I think if they get that right Apple does indeed have a game changer.
btown 6y ago
Genshin Impact, which made $100mm in its first two weeks as a free-to-play game simultaneously released on iOS, Android, Windows, and PS4, is remarkably important in this context. If Apple can ride the "convergence of console gaming and mobile gaming" wave that Genshin has shown to be a path to massive profitability for AAA game studios, it can suddenly become a relevant platform for the next generation of games, while completely bypassing the chicken-egg problem of "we won't port games to Mac because the market for games on Mac is small."
- haunter 6y ago
  Oh yeah totally forgot about and now people can play it on their Macs. Crazy moment really
- Hammershaft 6y ago
  I can't help but games that straddle the fidelity of the AAA space with the exploitative and all consuming monetization endemic to iOS are really the worst that gaming has to offer as a medium. While there are plenty of impressive perks M1 has to offer elsewhere, trading OpenGL and 32-bit support for Arm & Metal means trading access from the most creative and innovative sector of the gaming industry (the indie & AA market) for the most derivative and exploitative (mobile titles).
kd913 6y ago
I am wondering if this marks the death of Safari on the web tbh. That and most OS X apps. If a user can download and run the Amazon Prime app, why bother supporting Safari? The App version supports detection of VPNs, supports analytics etc... Same applies with Netflix, Disney+ etc... Then there are the devs which have OS X and iOS apps. Why would they maintain two code bases when now they can just support the iOS app and work on both? The app itself will be more optimal because it's designed for ARM/mobile so is likely newer with a cleaner architecture.
- qppo 6y ago
  > If a user can download and run the Amazon Prime app, why bother supporting Safari? The App version supports detection of VPNs, supports analytics etc... At least for me, to purchase books on Amazon for my kindle app. Can't do that in the kindle app or prime app.
  - grey-area 6y ago
    Apple will probably push to get a cut on every Mac transaction too at some point.
- yoz-y 6y ago
  People who develop actual macOS apps usually like the native look and feel. SwiftUI made it relatively easy to have a single code base for parts and still have separate and distinct programs for iOS and macOS. This however only applies to new stuff. I dread the idea that people will start ditching the electron apps in favour of desktop hostile iPad apps.
speedgoose 6y ago
Using apps designed for touch inputs without a touchscreen must be frustrating.
- haunter 6y ago
  iOS 14 has improved controller support so I think it will translate to Mac as well when you play the game there. Fortnite switches automatically to controller mode when you connect one to your iOS device through bluetooth. Fortnite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KsQ27Ddtyw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KsQ27Ddtyw https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=hk2u622s https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=hk2u622s https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2020/10614/ https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2020/10614/ Also I used the PS4 Remote Play with the Dualshock controller on Mac and it worked perfectly https://remoteplay.dl.playstation.net/remoteplay/lang/en/ps4_mac.html https://remoteplay.dl.playstation.net/remoteplay/lang/en/ps4...
wayneftw 6y ago
A huge step forward into Apple’s prison complex maybe. I’ll wait to use ARM on a desktop computer until an OS/platform with more freedom and a much better UI commonly runs on ARM. That will be Windows.
- Razengan 6y ago
  > That will be Windows. The only operating system left that you still have to pay for and get third-party ads anyway, with ""telemetry"" you cannot permanently disable and an inconsistent Escheresque nightmare of a UI.
  - wayneftw 6y ago
    Pffft. As if you’re not paying for macOS when they charge you $400 for an SSD you could get for $200. If you insist that it’s actually free, then you’re the product and a tool for Apple to use. You can turn off all telemetry [0] in the Windows Enterprise edition which can be purchased by anyone if they bother looking. Even if you couldn’t, anything is better than Apple’s prison and their woefully inadequate UI that everybody here has to spend time and money buying 3rd party apps to fix. Also, next time you open up the app store that you have no choice in using on one of your iDevices or soon on your Mac, think about all the third party ads you’re definitely not looking at and all the telemetry that is definitely not being collected there. [0] and “ads” if that’s what you call a single icon for a 3rd party app which only appears once after installation.
  - wayneftw 6y ago
    Just wanted to add the fact that Microsoft telemetry never stopped me from doing anything. Meanwhile nobody can run any apps on their Macs right now because of Apple’s telemetry. Enjoy that!
  - higerordermap 6y ago
    > that you still have to pay for You think you don't pay for mac OS? > get third-party ads anyway Not getting any? On start bar? It can simply be resized to hide ads. > an inconsistent Escheresque nightmare of a UI. Some FUD spread by apple fans. Windows, GTK, and QT are all pretty good. There may be small problems but the look and feel of UI is not why I buy a computer.
nultxt 6y ago
Couldn't agree more. If it goes right and works, the amount of functionality added is unreal
megablast 6y ago
Do you have a m1 mac?? I thought they weren’t out yet, but you are talking like you are already running iOS apps on your m1??
ksec 6y ago
It is definitely a big part. Considering there are over 600 million desktop Android emulator install, all thanks to Gaming. If Apple could gain those players that is some massive IAP revenue increase. 80% of the App Store Revenue are Gaming on both iPhone and Android.

lastofthemojito 6y ago

I wonder if any game (or other) developers are going to have major heartburn over this. "Woah, pricing/releasing this game this way was part of our mobile strategy, not our desktop strategy - how dare you run that game on a computer!" I know not all iOS apps target all devices - some are iPad only, etc. Is Apple allowing developers to arbitrarily prevent their apps from running on Macs? Can an app tell it's running on a Mac rather than an iPad?

saagarjha 6y ago
They'll just disable downloading it on macOS.
snazz 6y ago
Android apps already run on Chromebooks, so maybe this situation has already come up? The performance is certainly better on M1 Macs, but the same situation is possible.
izerik 6y ago
You can opt out of them being available on the Mac. “All iPhone apps and iPad apps that run on Apple silicon Macs will be published automatically on the Mac App Store, unless you edit their availability. Edit Availability | Learn More”
- Razengan 6y ago
  In that case it's yet another case of some developers choosing to screw users over by crippling the features that Apple wanted to be available for everyone by default :( (Fuck Google in particular for actively hindering iOS Picture-in-Picture for years)
grecy 6y ago
I also have to think some apps just won't be nice to use without a touch interface
kall 6y ago
I‘m sure audio software developers will love it. FabFilter Pro Q costs 149€ on Mac and 33€ iOS, probably because they assume you can‘t really use it in a studio, which you suddenly could. I‘m sure most developers will opt out soon enough though and who knows if it even works for Audio Units.
- ratww 6y ago
  The Mac version being a plugin rather than an app makes a lot of difference, enough to make the price difference worth it, IMO.

rasz 6y ago

Comparing Phone games to desktop ones is like comparing Modern art to finger painting. Sure, it kinda does look like Starry Night at first glance, but is it?

haunter 6y ago
>Comparing Phone games to desktop ones Yeah but where is the border? There are lot of games on iOS that are basically the same as on PC/consoles maybe with a different UI and lower graphics. But you get the same features and experience. You can now play GTA San Andreas on your Mac cause it was released on iOS. And it's one of the best game ever https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas/id763692274 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas/i... Genshin Impact which is currently one of the hottest game? https://apps.apple.com/us/app/genshin-impact/id1517783697 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/genshin-impact/id1517783697 I see no difference really
- DennisAleynikov 6y ago
  genshin impact basically sealed the deal for me no point buying a nintendo switch much less a proper mac. I can get by with non-apple silicon arm Chromebooks like the wonderful lenovo duet
  - himinlomax 6y ago
    Seal the deal? It looks like a crappy pay-to-win mobile game.
    - DennisAleynikov 6y ago
      pay to win what exactly? its a ripoff of breath of the wild, and doesn't seem to have a clear winning state especially in the free single player campaign. macos probably runs this now given its pretty popular on iPad right now. Open world games usually only launch on consoles/PC but unreal engine allows games like this to arrive on mobile platforms as well. mobile games need to lose some of the stigma when they keep gaining console like titles in the app stores

gazelleeatslion 6y ago

100% agree. We still need to know two important things: - Notification system integration - File management integration I think if they get that right Apple does indeed have a game changer.

btown 6y ago

Genshin Impact, which made $100mm in its first two weeks as a free-to-play game simultaneously released on iOS, Android, Windows, and PS4, is remarkably important in this context. If Apple can ride the "convergence of console gaming and mobile gaming" wave that Genshin has shown to be a path to massive profitability for AAA game studios, it can suddenly become a relevant platform for the next generation of games, while completely bypassing the chicken-egg problem of "we won't port games to Mac because the market for games on Mac is small."

haunter 6y ago
Oh yeah totally forgot about and now people can play it on their Macs. Crazy moment really
Hammershaft 6y ago
I can't help but games that straddle the fidelity of the AAA space with the exploitative and all consuming monetization endemic to iOS are really the worst that gaming has to offer as a medium. While there are plenty of impressive perks M1 has to offer elsewhere, trading OpenGL and 32-bit support for Arm & Metal means trading access from the most creative and innovative sector of the gaming industry (the indie & AA market) for the most derivative and exploitative (mobile titles).

kd913 6y ago

I am wondering if this marks the death of Safari on the web tbh. That and most OS X apps. If a user can download and run the Amazon Prime app, why bother supporting Safari? The App version supports detection of VPNs, supports analytics etc... Same applies with Netflix, Disney+ etc... Then there are the devs which have OS X and iOS apps. Why would they maintain two code bases when now they can just support the iOS app and work on both? The app itself will be more optimal because it's designed for ARM/mobile so is likely newer with a cleaner architecture.

qppo 6y ago
> If a user can download and run the Amazon Prime app, why bother supporting Safari? The App version supports detection of VPNs, supports analytics etc... At least for me, to purchase books on Amazon for my kindle app. Can't do that in the kindle app or prime app.
- grey-area 6y ago
  Apple will probably push to get a cut on every Mac transaction too at some point.
yoz-y 6y ago
People who develop actual macOS apps usually like the native look and feel. SwiftUI made it relatively easy to have a single code base for parts and still have separate and distinct programs for iOS and macOS. This however only applies to new stuff. I dread the idea that people will start ditching the electron apps in favour of desktop hostile iPad apps.

speedgoose 6y ago

Using apps designed for touch inputs without a touchscreen must be frustrating.

haunter 6y ago
iOS 14 has improved controller support so I think it will translate to Mac as well when you play the game there. Fortnite switches automatically to controller mode when you connect one to your iOS device through bluetooth. Fortnite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KsQ27Ddtyw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KsQ27Ddtyw https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=hk2u622s https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=hk2u622s https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2020/10614/ https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2020/10614/ Also I used the PS4 Remote Play with the Dualshock controller on Mac and it worked perfectly https://remoteplay.dl.playstation.net/remoteplay/lang/en/ps4_mac.html https://remoteplay.dl.playstation.net/remoteplay/lang/en/ps4...

wayneftw 6y ago

A huge step forward into Apple’s prison complex maybe. I’ll wait to use ARM on a desktop computer until an OS/platform with more freedom and a much better UI commonly runs on ARM. That will be Windows.

Razengan 6y ago
> That will be Windows. The only operating system left that you still have to pay for and get third-party ads anyway, with ""telemetry"" you cannot permanently disable and an inconsistent Escheresque nightmare of a UI.
- wayneftw 6y ago
  Pffft. As if you’re not paying for macOS when they charge you $400 for an SSD you could get for $200. If you insist that it’s actually free, then you’re the product and a tool for Apple to use. You can turn off all telemetry [0] in the Windows Enterprise edition which can be purchased by anyone if they bother looking. Even if you couldn’t, anything is better than Apple’s prison and their woefully inadequate UI that everybody here has to spend time and money buying 3rd party apps to fix. Also, next time you open up the app store that you have no choice in using on one of your iDevices or soon on your Mac, think about all the third party ads you’re definitely not looking at and all the telemetry that is definitely not being collected there. [0] and “ads” if that’s what you call a single icon for a 3rd party app which only appears once after installation.
- wayneftw 6y ago
  Just wanted to add the fact that Microsoft telemetry never stopped me from doing anything. Meanwhile nobody can run any apps on their Macs right now because of Apple’s telemetry. Enjoy that!
- higerordermap 6y ago
  > that you still have to pay for You think you don't pay for mac OS? > get third-party ads anyway Not getting any? On start bar? It can simply be resized to hide ads. > an inconsistent Escheresque nightmare of a UI. Some FUD spread by apple fans. Windows, GTK, and QT are all pretty good. There may be small problems but the look and feel of UI is not why I buy a computer.

nultxt 6y ago

Couldn't agree more. If it goes right and works, the amount of functionality added is unreal

megablast 6y ago

Do you have a m1 mac?? I thought they weren’t out yet, but you are talking like you are already running iOS apps on your m1??

ksec 6y ago

It is definitely a big part. Considering there are over 600 million desktop Android emulator install, all thanks to Gaming. If Apple could gain those players that is some massive IAP revenue increase. 80% of the App Store Revenue are Gaming on both iPhone and Android.