> He said Android emulator this could be emulating just the OS portion of Android with a jvm that targets x86.
That's exactly what the iOS simulator does. It would not be an emulator in that case. It would be a simulator. Like the iOS simulator.
> From what I understand of iOS development they do it the other way. They compile to x86 and emulate the iOS system calls. They don't emulate an ARM and run the real iOS on it.
Hence being a simulator.
> Therefore the Apple way is a little fake, it is possible for behavior to differ between emulated iOS and real iOS.
It's not fake, it's a simulator. That's the whole point, and that's why it's called "simulator" not "emulator".
That's exactly what the iOS simulator does. It would not be an emulator in that case. It would be a simulator. Like the iOS simulator.
> From what I understand of iOS development they do it the other way. They compile to x86 and emulate the iOS system calls. They don't emulate an ARM and run the real iOS on it.
Hence being a simulator.
> Therefore the Apple way is a little fake, it is possible for behavior to differ between emulated iOS and real iOS.
It's not fake, it's a simulator. That's the whole point, and that's why it's called "simulator" not "emulator".