I am quite sure that back in the day when Macs could run Windows Office, that proved to be quite the out-of-this-world experience for many. Fast forward to today, and it is not strange to see Microsoft software running on an Apple device. One thing remains anathema, however, and that would be the native execution of iOS apps on the Android platform. Not until today, at least, thanks to Project Cider.

In a nutshell, Project Cider would open the doors for the native execution of iOS apps on Android, courtesy of researchers from the Columbia University who have come up with this “operating system compatibility architecture” that does not make use of a virtual machine, and yet enables an Android device to execute iOS apps.

It does not work on magic, but Project Cider will rely on a compile-time code adaptation method that adapts the source code in the iOS app to run them on Android without having to alter a single line of code. That, coupled with some diplomatic functions, you enable the iOS app to hook up to the host libraries on an Android device. Having said that, native Android libraries for 3D hardware acceleration are also fully supported. Needless to say, there will be legal and technical complications involved, so Project Cider is best used as an example to showcase the possibilities, and not eventualities. [Press Release]

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