BlueStacks App Player is a piece of software that allows Windows users to run Android Apps on their PC. Now, an Apple friendly version has been announced to allow users to use Android Apps on Mac OSX. In BlueStack’s previous alpha of the software, Windows users were given access to Android apps, but graphics-intensive apps, like many of the popular games on the platform, had severe issues. The newer Beta for Windows, released earlier in March, gave access to all 450,000 Android apps, including full screen support for all intensive apps, and has been downloaded over five million times.
Tech Crunch explains that this “new functionality is made possible by the company?s new patent-pending technology, called Layercake, which allows Android apps to run on x86-based PCs, including apps that are written for the ARM processor.” BlueStack’s latest update will use your PC’s video card to run the apps that need it, including hardware acceleration. The beta also comes with accelerometer tilting and pinch-to-zoom, using your PC’s arrow keys.
Now, BlueStacks have released their latest Beta with support for Mac OSX, so it will be interesting to see what adoption it receives. Apple has still not provided support for iOS Applications to run natively on Mac OSX, so this is a real win for the Android community and perhaps for those that are considering a jump over to Android to test drive the platform. The possibilities this software has is endless, with the consequences this may trigger for others to follow suit is exciting.
Without a touchscreen on a Mac, playing those Apps that are optimised for touch may be a bit tricky with just a keyboard and mouse, but none-the-less, it does bridge the gap between the world of iOS and Google.
If you download BlueStack, please let us know what you think of the experience on both Windows and Mac, in the comment section below.
Download the beta here: Bluestacks.com