RSSMicrosoft Kills Virtual PC for Mac
By Ed Oswald | Published August 7, 2006, 6:21 PM
What has been a foregone conclusion for many Mac users has finally been confirmed: Microsoft's Virtual PC is dead. In a statement provided to BetaNews Monday, the company said its Macintosh Business Unit has decided not to go forward with a version of the software native to the Intel platform.
"Developing a high-quality virtualization solution, such as Virtual PC, for the Intel-based Mac is similar to creating a version 1.0 release due to how closely the product integrates with Mac hardware," a Microsoft spokesperson said.
She added that the need for virtualization should be satisfied through alternatives provided by Apple and others.
The market for virtualization on Intel-based Mac systems is quickly becoming saturated. Apple currently offers Boot Camp that allows for dual-booting of Mac OS X and Windows, with virtual desktop support coming in Mac OS X "Leopard."
Upstart Parallels offers software that runs any x86 operating system in a window in Mac OS X, and virtualization software maker VMware plans a release for the platform as well.
Virtual PC was acquired in 2003 through Microsoft's purchase of Connectix, which also included the Virtual Server product. It had been widely rumored that Virtual PC was to be discontinued, however Microsoft repeatedly declined to confirm those reports.
Microsoft also said Monday that progress was being made on efforts to offer a Universal Binary version of Mac Office, but the company declined to provide a solid ship date. Additionally, it announced that Visual Basic scripting support would be discontinued in favor of Apple-centric platforms such as AppleScript and Automator.
Even without the scripting support, Microsoft said files with VB macros would still be readable in the next Macintosh version of Office, but they would not be editable.
Finally, Messenger for Mac will be getting a much needed facelift to improve its consumer-centric features. On the list of additions coming in Messenger 6.0, due later this year, is Yahoo interoperability, customized emoticons, and "what I'm listening to" support with iTunes.
Microsoft did not say if video and audio conferencing support would be available in the next version of Messenger for Mac. However, in an interview with BetaNews in January, Microsoft said that those features would be coming to the Mac client.
'"Developing a high-quality virtualization solution, such as Virtual PC, for the Intel-based Mac is similar to creating a version 1.0 release due to how closely the product integrates with Mac hardware," Microsoft spokesperson Kristen Johnson said.'
If you've forgotten, there's already a Virtual PC for the x86, it's called Virtual PC for Windows. Strip out the Windows API stuff and use that as a base!
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Which, BTW, has not been updated since 2004 and there is not plans to release a newer version...
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Plans for Virtual PC 2007 were announced at the same time that Virtual PC 2004 was made free.
Also, one or two of the high-end editions of Vista will come with Virtual PC Express, which brings the x64 support (already added to Virtual Server) to Virtual PC.
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Virtual PC Express is now dead as Virtual PC is free. Virtual PC 2007 will come out around the same time as Vista to introduce Vista support as a guest and (this is assumed because of the route virtual server went) Linux support as a guest.
Virtual PC 2007 will remain free and will most likely be bundled with the Vista Enterprise installer.
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The need and availability of this type of software are far different than three years ago. Sounds like a good decision to me.
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Exactly. Microsoft have looked at the market, seen two other products which do the job well and decided that it really isn't worth the time or money. The other tools are designed to run Windows on a Mac. That is what Microsoft wants, they would have to give it away for free for people to pick it over VMware or Parallels so it just isn't worth the investment, however for VMware and Parallels it is worth the investment as it is their core business. I think Microsoft made the right move.
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I wonder who will be the first to suggest an ulterior motive for the discontinuation of Virtual PC?
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The Mac fanboys will say: The evil Microsoft is using it's unfair advantage to undermine MacOS in an attempt to further solidify it's monopoly.
Nevermind that this comes just hours after VMware announces that it will begin supporting MacOS on the x86 platform.
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See Grazer, crashoverride is a troll. Not a very good one, but a decent example.
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Except trolls don't usually agree with the person they are responding to, unless the person they are responding to is a troll they are agreeing with.
And I do not consider my comments trolls. In fact, the comment of mine crashoverride was responding to was a friendly roundabout warning to the mac zealots to not make themselves look stupid right off the bat. Note that I said Mac zealots not Mac users.
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Trolls can easily agree with the person they are responding to, since that's not the purpose of their troll. Generally, trolls seek to draw attention by posting inflammatory remarks at a single person or group, hoping to draw a negative response. crashoverride was clearly hoping to draw in Mac zealots or users wishing to defend the product.
As for your comments, I never said they were trolls, did I?
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No I was simply pointing out the fact that everytime Microsoft puts a program that they make for Macs on the chopping block the Mac zealots would have you believe that Microsoft is out to get them. Nevermind the fact that there are other options out there anyway and who knows those options may be better.
I'm not trying to belittle Macs as I have no right to being as I've never owned one.
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Dude, a troll is a troll. This post is a totally different story, but your previous post was clearly a troll. (never mind the "Bring on the Mac fanboys!!" comment above that one.)
It's okay, really, you provided a great example of something Grazer and I were discussing in another thread.
Thanks. ;o)
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Whatever you say I'm not going to argue with you about it. Glad I was able to help by I guess making myself look like and a**.
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Crashoverride?? You been watching hackers lately? Sheesh
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Your point being???? You got a problem with my name or something?
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