VMware Fusion 3 for Mac Due Later this Month

Whether you are a Mac OS X or Linux user, to run Windows on your machine, you have a few options. One of the more common is to dual-boot your machine, so that when you boot up, you can run one or the other. Another option is to run software that allows you to run Windows software, such as Wine or Crossover Office. Both of these methods work well, but personally, I can’t really think of any other way but by virtual machine, given how robust the technology is today.

Although PC users have many virtualization options available to them, for the end-consumer, none seem to compare features-wise to VMware Fusion, exclusively for the Mac. VMware is a company that produces some of the best virtualization software available, and their Workstation application is what I use exclusively. But there’s something lacking… and everything it lacks, VMware’s upcoming Fusion 3, for the Mac, seems to fix.

Mac users who use Fusion 2 will definitely want to upgrade if they are using a relatively new PC, because the feature-set is undeniably sweet. First, we have optimization for Snow Leopard, and native support for the 64-bit kernel. Then there’s what VMware calls the “Ultimate Windows 7 Experience”… that is, the ability to run Windows 7 with full GUI effects, such as Aero and Flip 3D.

The most notable feature, to me, is the “Best-in-Class 3D Graphics”, which opens up full support for OpenGL 2.1 and DirectX 9.0c Shader Model 3. Going by its claims, it looks as though games for Windows may possibly run at almost full-speed, and if so, that’s going to be unbelievably impressive. After all, gaming is generally a downside of non-Windows OS’, so if this proves as reliable as the company is leading on, then this is going to be one hot product.

Fusion 3 will become available later this month, but is available for pre-order now, for $79.99. Those who are using a previous version of Fusion can upgrade for $39.99.

“For more than 10 years, VMware virtualization has given users the choice of where to run their favorite applications. We’re excited about the rapid adoption of VMware Fusion in the Mac community since its introduction just over two years ago, making it the #1 choice to run Windows on a Mac,” said Jocelyn Goldfein, vice president and general manager, desktop business unit. “VMware Fusion 3 builds on our proven platform and makes it even easier for users to run Windows applications on the Mac.”