> are there projects using Obj-C out of an Apple context?
It's the same as 12 years ago: just GNUStep and things in the GNUStep halo like Étoilé. Sony started a project to put GNUStep on mobile (SNAP) a few years ago and promptly dropped it.
> I always wondered if that popularity is tied to Apple devices.
SNAP was a very strange story. I tried to google what happened and on 25 Nov 2010 all reported "big news: Sony is using Obj-C with GNUstep!" and two days later on the 27th "Sony killed SNAP!"
It's the same as 12 years ago: just GNUStep and things in the GNUStep halo like Étoilé. Sony started a project to put GNUStep on mobile (SNAP) a few years ago and promptly dropped it.
> I always wondered if that popularity is tied to Apple devices.
There's no doubt about that.