Apple’s 64-bit iOS 7, A7-powered iPhone 5s, and the dim prospects for a 64-bit Android

“Apple’s shift to 64-bit mobile devices in iOS 7 came as a surprise, but the company’s information outlined for developers indicates that the shift to 64-bit mobile apps will bring significant benefits in the short term, something Google’s Android appears challenged to replicate even in the long term,” Daniel Eran Dilger reports for AppleInsider.

“The benefits of moving iOS apps to 64-bit include the hardware advantages of the A7’s 64-bit cores (including more registers, and likely more cache), the improvements and optimizations inherent in the new 64-bit ARMv8 instruction set, and the requisite API enhancements that come along with iOS 7,” Dilger reports. “Whether Google’s Android will ever make a transition to 64-bit is also difficult to pin down… Android apps are not Linux processes; they are Dalvik executables that run on a Java-like virtual machine. Typical Android ‘.dex’ apps are not native code in the way all iOS Cocoa Touch apps are. Instead, they are more akin to Adobe Flash middleware or JavaScript code running within a native browser’s JavaScript engine (which is essentially what Google’s ChromeOS is, too). Redesigning Android’s Dalvik/Java VM architecture to make effective use of a 64-bit processor is not a trivial undertaking.”

Dilger reports, “Delivering such a technically involved transition to 64-bit would also come as Google itself is turning its attention to Chrome, rather than doubling down on Andy Rubin’s Android-centric strategy, which so far has primarily amassed significant legal problems related to its cavalier approach to intellectual property and built the company a fan base of users who don’t like to pay for things, and in particular, software… These realities might force Samsung to virtualize 32-bit Android on top of its promised 64-bit chip for spec’s sake, resulting in a truly ‘hoax 64-bit’ done for benchmarking theatrics rather than real performance gains…”

Much more in the full article – recommended – here.



  1. Fan droid user are too narrow minded in hardware spec in terms of CPU core & speed, amount of ram and screen size. Their brain are just too tiny that can’t calculate the differences in between 32-bit or 64-bit , pity for them.

      1. You bring up a great point. Much of android’s success has come at the brick and mortar retail level; in the form of commissioned salesmen pushing smartphones to people who don’t really need one.

  2. So while Android and iPhone have been perceived as neck and neck, in reality Android is stuck in 2nd gear while Apple is in 3rd ready to quickly shift to 4th. Android stays stuck in 2nd gear. I just want the Apple advantage perception to be outstandingly clear to all, leaving no room for debate. It would be good to shut up the clueless Fandroid once and for all as they finally give up their 11.3″ Maldroid phones stuffed down their pants.

  3. Samsung had on hell of a party taunting the iPhone. Samsung seen itself as the successor to Apple and why not throw a party and copy Apple’s presentation style- win win… Right?

    Bet they feel pretty stupid now. All that show and no substance while Apple pulls the magic rabbit out of the hat. Priceless!!

  4. I think with the switch to 64 bit we will see a huge upgrade cycle in iPads, where the real benefits can be seen in gaming on the bigger screen as well as a lot of high-end apps in medicine, engineering and architecture.

  5. Once again Apple proves that they are the only truly tech company out there pushing technology forward. The others just sit around and wait so they make their cheesy knock-offs. They truly are in a pitiful place now

  6. “Much more in the full article” sorta goes without saying when you’re talking about Daniel Eran Dilger. Guy’s an analytical genius, but he doesn’t do “concise”.


  7. DED has been firing on all cylinders with a turbo boost lately. The last week he has written quite a bit of very informative articles. Strangely I hardly ever read the comments on AI anymore. I am too busy carrying water for APPL over at CNET.

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