VMWare 1.1: The Full, No-Holds-Barred Review

Early last week, VMWare released the next iteration of VMWare Fusion. Although this was simply a point release (aka 1.1), it still brought along substantial features. For the uninitiated, Fusion is one of four several different methods of running Windows on a Mac.

I know, it sounds like an oxymoron, but some of us unlucky Mac users are still stuck with arcane Windows-only infrastructures. So what’s new in this version, and is it worth $79.99? After using it for several days, I’ve reached a verdict, and a great way for all of you to save 25% on purchasing a license.

Growling With the New Cat
Yup, VMWare Fusion 1.1 is ready to run with Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard. In fact, the development team actually pushed the release date back to thoroughly test it with Leopard, according to a VMWare Marketing Manager I spoke with. I’m pleased to report that I did not find any glaring bugs; it was a silky smooth experience. In contrast, the previous version (Fusion 1.0) had several issues with Unity mode in Leopard, but we’ll get there in a second.

Improved Localizations
If you’re a French, German or Japanese reader, speak one of those languages or live in one of those regions, you’ll be delighted to know that VMWare has localized Fusion 1.1 for you. It’s all available as a single, convenient download.

Time for Some Games
I will admit, as I have in the past, that gaming isn’t one of my pastimes. Sure, I might hop onto a game of Counter-Strike or take a short flight in Flight Simulator, but that’s pretty much it. I tried some older titles and to my surprise, they actually performed much better than they did under Fusion 1.0. Of course, these virtualized games still can’t beat the raw power of Boot Camp, but it’s still a big improvement nonetheless.

The current release of Fusion supports DirectX 9.0, but without Pixel Shaders; most of the newer titles will run fine without shaders, but these beasts are the things that really bring the special effects and all that fancy lighting into a game. In other words, it brings life to a game. I think it’s fair to say that if you’re a gamer, you’ll want to stick to Boot Camp. Or buy a PC. Check out the VMWare Forums for more info on your specific game/application titles.

Hide the Windows Desktop
Face it, the Windows desktop ain’t the prettiest thing in the world. The Unity feature, as introduced in Fusion 1.0 now works in both 32 and 64-bit virtual machines, which might be important to some. Fusion 1.1 also displays the Windows Task Bar; apparently, VMWare says that this will help new switchers, who like the idea of using the Start Menu to find their applications.

iPhone and Outlook Can be Best Friends
The iPhone syncs up nicely with applications like Mail and Address Book on the Mac, but what about the PC? Sure, you can transfer data with Outlook, which requires a reboot into Boot Camp. Well, not any more, because you can now do it through Fusion 1.1. Think about it; you’re sending data between your iPhone to an app running in a virtual machine. How cool is that?

Want to thrash Parallels? Now you can!
The earlier versions of Parallels Desktop were awfully slow, which was one of the biggest factors that made me switch to Fusion. To make that transition much simpler, VMWare has introduced a beta version of VMWare Importer. As its name implies, this piece of software simply imports your Parallels virtual machines into Fusion. I really wished I had this feature earlier. It is in beta though, so make sure you have backups handy in case it turns foul.

After playing with the new virtual machine for several days, I’m glad I chose VMWare Fusion. The upgrade has certainly brought along a slew of useful features that I was hoping for, so on the whole, I’m pretty satisfied. But wait, I’ve just noticed something that could potentially sweeten the deal. VMWare is offering a $20 mail-in rebate (U.S. and Canadian customers only) for the purchase of Fusion 1.1, effectively bringing the price down to $59.99.

VMWare Fusion is a great piece of software for Mac users who need to run Windows. With the mail-in rebate, there really isn’t an excuse not to get it. You can download the VMWare Fusion demo and give it a spin yourself. Bulk licensing available.

What do you think of virtualization under OS X?