BlueStacks AppPlayer For Mac Puts Android Apps On OS X

Running Android apps on your MacBook is now a possibility, with virtualization specialist BlueStacks bringing its clever software to Apple's OS X. The tool – initially vaunted as a "Parallels for Android" – has been available on Windows for some time now, but BlueStacks now supports 17 Android apps on OS X including popular newsreader app Pulse.

Seventeen isn't a lot compared to how many apps there are currently available in the Android Market, but BlueStacks says more are in the pipeline. Meanwhile the company has thrown open its doors to developers, taking pre-interest for porting, which should boost the selection.

BlueStacks has inked deals with HalfBrick, Evernote, Droidhen, COM2US, Creative Mobile and others, and something they're talking about is high-resolution graphics to suit the latest Retina Display Macs. The company is also positioning AppPlayer as a way of "breaking open the Apple ecosystem" though, given OS X has always been more flexible with third-party software, that's a little disingenuous.

The BlueStacks AppPlayer for Mac is currently an alpha release – which could mean bugs – and is a free download. If the company plays to form, it's likely to eventually release a more comprehensive version with paid-app support as a premium product later on.