New releases of VMware Workstation, Fusion and Fusion Pro

• Workstation 10’s Easy Install now recognises Windows 8.1 and new Linux distributions
• Fusion 6 for home users and Fusion 6 Pro for corporates bring together Windows-Mac worlds

VIRTUALISATION and cloud infrastructure company VMware Inc has announced VMware Workstation 10, the latest version of its virtualisation software; and Fusion 6 and Fusion 6 Professional.
 
Workstation 10 comes with “unmatched operating system support, a rich user experience, a comprehensive feature set and high performance,” the company said in a statement.
 
“The launch of VMware Workstation 10 is a significant milestone in our legacy of running virtual machines on a personal computer,” said Jason Joel, director of personal products at VMware.
 
“Powered by VMware’s most advanced virtualization platform, VMware Workstation 10 takes virtualization to the next level, and continues VMware’s tradition of delivering innovative features that technical professionals rely on every day,” he claimed.
 
Among the new features, VMware Workstation 10’s Easy Install now recognises Windows 8.1 and new Linux distributions to make it easier to create the latest virtual machines.
 
Computers running Windows 8.1 can be converted into virtual machines via an easy-to-use wizard, VMware said.
 
It also includes the industry’s first virtual accelerometer, gyroscope, compass and ambient light sensor to enable applications running in a virtual machine to respond when a user interacts with their tablet, VMware said.

VMware Workstation 10 is currently available for purchase for US$249. Upgrades from VMware Workstation 8.x and 9.x are available for US$119 at the VMware online store.
 
VMware customers who have purchased VMware Workstation 9 between Aug 1 and Sept 30, 2013 are eligible for a complimentary electronic upgrade to VMware Workstation 10.
 
A free trial can be downloaded at the VMware Workstation trial page.
 
Windows-Mac Fusion
 
VMware Fusion 6 comes with more than 50 new features, and the company also announced VMware Fusion 6 Professional with advanced features designed to improve the way businesses deploy corporate desktops on Macs and PCs.
 
VMware continues to upgrade Fusion 6 and Fusion 6 Professional “with major enhancements and support for the latest operating systems from Apple and Microsoft,” said Joel.
 
“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 (bring your own personal computer) trends while supporting corporate compliance,” he added.
 
VMware Fusion 6 is recommended for home users who are looking for the easiest, fastest and most reliable way to run Windows applications on a Mac.
 
Users can run Windows Store applications side-by-side with Mac applications, and Fusion 6 is also optimised for the latest Macs to take advantage of Intel’s latest Haswell processors for better battery life and faster performance when running Windows applications.
 
VMware Fusion 6 Professional includes all of the features of Fusion 6 along with advanced functionalities designed to improve the way professionals deliver enterprise applications to Mac and PC users.
 
It adds more customisable restrictions that provide IT administrators with more control over deployments of corporate desktops, and has the ability to expire virtual machines at a specific date and time.
 
Fusion 6 and Fusion 6 Professional are available immediately for download and purchase from vmware.com for US$59.99 and US$129.99 respectively. VMware Fusion 6 Professional is also available from VMware solution providers.
 
Customers who have purchased VMware Fusion 5 between Aug 1 and Sept 30, 2013 are eligible for an electronic upgrade to VMware Fusion 6 at no additional cost.
 
VMware Fusion 4 and 5 customers can upgrade to VMware Fusion 6 for only US$49.99 and to VMware Fusion 6 Professional for US$69.99 at the VMware online store.
 
VMware Fusion is available in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese and Japanese.
 
 
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