VMware Opens up Macs to 60 Virtual OS’s

By Greg McNevin

August 7, 2007: EMC’s VMware has released its latest Fusion software, enabling Mac users to run virtualised instances of Windows, Linux, Solaris and more within Mac OS X.

Based on its desktop virtualisation platform, Fusion enables Macs powered by Intel chips to run Windows, other x86 operating systems and associated software without rebooting.

While not the first solution out there (with Bootcamp and the now firmly established Parallels being some of the first), VMware’s Fusion supports over 60 operating systems in total, with various flavours of Windows and Linux getting the nod alongside Solaris and other advanced features such as 3D graphics and 64-bit memory addressing support.

“VMware Fusion was designed for Mac enthusiasts looking for a seamless way to run Windows applications on the Mac,” says 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 virtualisation platform to allow users to run Mac applications seamlessly alongside PC applications on Intel-based Macs.”

The company claims that Fusion is the only software of its kind currently available to provide full support upwards of 60 operating systems and complete power management capabilities to safeguard virtual machines when laptops are running out of battery life.

The software is available for download now for a 30 day free trial, or US$79.99 (AU$93.40).

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