Are there alternative ways to achieve the desired multidimensional array output in PHP code that is compatible with older versions like 5.3?

The issue arises when trying to create a multidimensional array using the short array syntax in PHP 5.3, which does not support this syntax. To achieve the desired multidimensional array output in PHP 5.3, you can use the array() function to create nested arrays instead.

// Using array() function to create a multidimensional array in PHP 5.3
$multidimensionalArray = array(
    array('apple', 'banana', 'cherry'),
    array('orange', 'grape', 'kiwi'),
    array('pear', 'pineapple', 'watermelon')
);

// Output the multidimensional array
print_r($multidimensionalArray);