VMware Fusion 6 and Fusion 6 Professional
Hot on the heels of the release of its main competition (see “Parallels Desktop 9,” 5 September 2013), VMware has updated its popular virtualization package VMware Fusion to version 6 with standard and Professional editions. As you would expect, the virtualization applications are prepped and ready for the upcoming releases of OS X 10.9 Mavericks and Windows 8.1. In addition, Fusion 6 is optimized for the latest Mac hardware (including Intel’s latest Haswell processors) for faster performance and enhanced battery life when running Windows applications. Fusion 6 also
uses the new multi-display capabilities in Mavericks to bring Windows apps to every available monitor — even an HDTV connected to an Apple TV (according to Ars Technica). It also enables you to create robust virtual machines with support for systems with up to 16 virtual CPUs, 8 TB virtual disks, and 64 GB of memory.
Fusion 6 Professional includes all the features in the standard edition, and adds a host of features that will make IT professionals’ hearts sing, including enhanced deployment of restricted virtual machines for more control over corporate desktops, linked clones for creating multiple copies of virtual machines without taking up additional disk space, and a “single virtual machine mode” that limits application features available to end users. ($59.99/129.99 new, $49.99/$69.99 upgrade, free updates for purchases after 1 August 2013, 511 MB, release notes)