VMware on Wednesday released its latest virtualization software — VMware Fusion 6 and Fusion 6 Professional — with over 50 new features optimized to extend OS X features to Microsoft's Windows 8.1, including those of Apple's next-generation OS X 10.9 Mavericks.
VMware Fusion 6 and VMware Fusion 6 Professional are available now for $59.99 and $129.99, respectively.
"VMware Fusion 6 and Fusion 6 Professional spotlight our award-winning virtualization platform that we continue to upgrade with major enhancements and integration with the latest operating systems from Apple and Microsoft," said Jason Joel, VMware's director of personal products. "For enterprises with a heterogeneous computing environment with both Macs and PCs, Fusion 6 Professional takes deploying corporate desktops to a whole new level with enhanced restrictions and virtual machine expirations, giving IT admins the right tools to deal with BYOPC trends while ensuring corporate compliance."
VMware Fusion 6 includes the following new features:
- Designed for Mac OS X Mavericks - Extend the unique features of Mavericks to a Windows environment, such as taking full advantage of every display connected to a Mac with multiple display support and enhanced dictation support in Windows applications.
- Ready for Windows 8.1 - Get the most out of Windows 8.1 by running Windows Store applications side-by-side with Mac applications. With VMware Fusion 6, users can access Windows Store applications in Launchpad or the Applications folder and put them in the Dock in Unity mode.
- Optimized for the Latest Macs - VMware Fusion 6 is optimized for the latest Macs taking advantage of Intel's latest Haswell processors for even better battery life and even faster performance when running Windows applications.
- Create the Most Powerful Virtual Machines - Create virtual machines with support for up to 16 vCPUs, 8 TB virtual disks, and up to 64 GB of memory to run the most demanding Windows applications on a Mac.
- Enhanced User Interface - From its streamlined user experience and improved PC migration assistant, to easier installation of Windows and more granular selection of computer resources, everything has been enhanced to give users an even better way to run Windows on a Mac.
VMware also launched Fusion 6 Professional on Wednesday, which includes all the features of the consumer version and adds advanced functionality aimed at enterprise applications. VMware Fusion 6 Professional includes:
- Enhanced Restricted Virtual Machines - Fusion 6 Professional enhances restricted virtual machines by adding more customizable restrictions that provide IT administrators with even more control over deployments of corporate desktops.
- Expiring Virtual Machines - With the ability to expire virtual machines at a specific date and time, VMware Fusion 6 Professional enables deployment of corporate virtual machines to contractors and allows software developers to easily deliver demos of their software as a time-limited virtual appliance.
- Single Virtual Machine Mode - Easily prevent users from creating new virtual machines or accessing specific application features, to reduce support calls and increase productivity.
- Linked Clones - Linked clones allow users to create multiple copies of a virtual machine without duplicating the entire contents of the original disk saving considerable space on their Mac.
- BYOPC with VMware Player 6 Plus - VMware Fusion 6 Professional is licensed to customers to use VMware Player 6 Plus to run restricted virtual machines created by VMware Fusion 6 Professional on Windows and Linux PCs.
Customers who have purchased VMware Fusion 5 between Aug. 1, 2013 and Sept. 30, 2013 are eligible for an electronic upgrade to Fusion 6 free of charge. Fusion 4 and 5 customers can also upgrade to VMware Fusion 6 for $49.99 and to VMware Fusion 6 Professional for $69.99.
Also launched this week was VMware Workstation 10, for professionals that rely on virtual machines. The new version adds support for Windows 8.1, USB 3.0 streams, SSD pass-through, and it has a new virtual SATA disk controller.
VMware Workstation 10 also includes support for virtual tablet sensors, such as accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, and ambient light sensor.