VMware for Mac

VMware Announces New Product for Apple Mac OS X Users is great news. I'm happy with Parallels Workstation, yes, but..

I think it's obvious that VMware has the traction in the virtualization market. They have the market recognition, the virtual appliances and the cross-platform coverage. I don't think it matters a bit whether they give this away or charge for it: most of us will probably switch away from Parallels to use VMware. The only circumstance in which I can imagine that not being true is if Parallels was able to virtualize Mac OS X itself.. but that would no doubt require assistance from Apple to have any chance of real success.

And even if that were the case, VMware still is highly attractive for the cross-platform abilities:

The new Mac product is based on VMware's robust and advanced virtualization technology, shipping for more than seven years and used by more than four million people today. Moving forward, virtual machines created with any of VMware's products will run on Intel-based Macs and, similarly, non-Mac OS X virtual machines created with the new product will run on the latest versions of other VMware platform products.

Right this minute, you can't download or buy anything though. VMware is just teasing us, saying that the product will be available later this year, and offering a signup page for "early access".

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