VMware Fusion to ship on Aug 6th
updated 01:00 am EDT, Thu August 2, 2007
VMware Fusion ships Aug 6
VMware on Thursday announced that it will release VMware Fusion next week. VMware fusion is its own propietary virtualization software that allows Mac users to simultaneously run Mac OS X, Windows and other PC-based applications. Leveraging nearly a decade of desktop virtualizatio expertise, the company said that VMware Fusion delivers the most advanced Mac virtualization software available today. The software allows Mac users to take advantage of their hardware’s full potential by running both 32- and 64-bit operating systems and leveraging two processor cores at the same time, VMWare said that users can use a wide variety of USB 2.0 devices and the software will support more than 60 operating systems, It also features complete power management capabilities to safeguard virtual machines when laptops are running out of battery as well as support for DirectX for gaming aficionados and Boot Camp-based installations (Windows XP).
According to the company, there have been more than 250,000 downloads of VMware Fusion since the beta became available in December 2006.
“VMware Fusion was designed for Mac enthusiasts looking for a seamless way to run Windows applications on the Mac,” said Dan Chu, vice president of emerging products and markets at VMware. “VMware Fusion combines a very clean and intuitive interface that Mac users expect with the world’s most trusted desktop virtualization platform to allow users to run Mac applications seamlessly alongside PC applications on Intel-based Macs.”
VMware Fusion will be available for $80 at the Apple Store, Amazon.com, and other retailers such as Buy.com, Fry’s, Microcenter, and CompUSA. Additionally, the software will soon be available through Apple’s retail stores and other authorized retailers worldwide. (The beta pricing of $40 will be available through Sunday, August 5th.)
Parallels
08/02, 06:44am reply
I have to say that Fusion sounds interesting, but i've had Parallels for so long that i dont think i can justify buying another virtulization application.
Its a pity that they took so long to come to market.
coldfusion1970
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2004
which one?
08/02, 09:06am reply
VMWare made the choice for me. As I was trying to figure out which to buy (and I wasn't thrilled with either), VMWare offered a 50% discount for early purchase. $40 was small enough to take the plunge.
testudo
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001
Fusion is Great
08/02, 09:37am reply
I had been using parallels for a while. I installed Fusion Beta, and it blows parallels away. Maybe I need to maintain my virtual partition better on parallels, but Fusion is so much faster. The Unity feature is very nice. Their support is slow, but more responsive and professional than parellels.
My $.02
surferboy
Mac Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2003
saves me hundreds
08/02, 01:27pm reply
This software allows me to buy one computer instead of 2, so I can use Linux and OS X on the same computer. I wasn't pleased that you had to install it yourself with Parallels and that its latest supported Ubuntu is 5.04 or 5.06 - that is over 2 years old.
bhuot
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2003
thumbs up
08/02, 01:40pm reply
i've been using fusion for a week now and so far everything has been great. i like the unity feature in this product. i also like the vmware shared folder which can access my mac hd. my boss is using parallel on his mac and we'll compare the two once the final product is shipped next week.
jade_pagoda
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2007
The nod goes to VMware
08/02, 03:50pm reply
I've purchased both Parallels and VMware (I don't care, both products were cheap enough).
If I had to pick just one, I'd go with VMware. It seems just slightly smoother, the configuration is simpler and more straightforward, and I like that I can use the VM's I built on my Windows machine on my Mac (and vice-versa).
Parallels is good, too. I just prefer VMware. Both offer trials, so judge for yourself.
_Rick_V_
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2003