A universal binary is an executable file or application bundle that runs natively on either PowerPC or Intel-manufactured IA-32 or Intel 64-based Macintosh computers
A universal binary is an executable file or application bundle that runs natively on either powerpc or Intel-manufactured ia-32 or Intel 64-based Macintosh computers.
Universal Binaries were announced in 2005, when Apple announced that a transition from PowerPC to Intel processors would begin.
Universal binaries typically include both PowerPC and x86 versions of a compiled application. The operating system detects a universal binary by its header, and executes the appropriate section for the architecture in use. This allows the application to run natively on any supported architecture, with no negative performance impact beyond an increase in the storage space taken up by the larger binary.
