Memo to Apple: time to call VMWare
Hidden in many of the announcements around MacWorld last week was the news that Microsoft can't comment on when it will be able to release Virtual PC for the Mac. General manager Roz Ho had some interesting comments on the problem:
Uh huh. We'll ignore the fact that when Microsoft bought Connectix, the actual creator of Virtual PC, it sold a version of Virtual PC designed for the Intel architecture. Yes, it would need to be modified for use on Mac OS X, but it's not like it is a rewrite from the ground up.
When we combine this piece of information with the fact that Microsoft isn't really willing to say when it will make its Office apps native on Intel Macs, it's clear that Microsoft doesn't want to help a competitor gain ground in the operating systems battle. And that's why if Steve Jobs hasn't called Dianne Green over at VMWare, he should. VMWare Workstation already runs on x86 Linux, so it wouldn't be a stretch to port it to Mac OS X. And my guess is that VMWare would value Apple as one of its clients -- which is more than we can apparently say for Microsoft.
Of course, if Apple plans to release its internal "Yellow Box" project which allows Windows apps to run natively, just as Classic Mac OS apps did on Mac OS X, never mind.
"These types of products require a dedicated team and a lot of work to rebuild them for an entirely new architecture. That said, we know that using Windows-based applications on Macs is important to our customers, and we’re working with Apple to figure out the best way to bring this technology to Intel-based Macs. We’ll have a better idea once we have the new machines and can accurately evaluate just what is required to transition the product."
Uh huh. We'll ignore the fact that when Microsoft bought Connectix, the actual creator of Virtual PC, it sold a version of Virtual PC designed for the Intel architecture. Yes, it would need to be modified for use on Mac OS X, but it's not like it is a rewrite from the ground up.
When we combine this piece of information with the fact that Microsoft isn't really willing to say when it will make its Office apps native on Intel Macs, it's clear that Microsoft doesn't want to help a competitor gain ground in the operating systems battle. And that's why if Steve Jobs hasn't called Dianne Green over at VMWare, he should. VMWare Workstation already runs on x86 Linux, so it wouldn't be a stretch to port it to Mac OS X. And my guess is that VMWare would value Apple as one of its clients -- which is more than we can apparently say for Microsoft.
Of course, if Apple plans to release its internal "Yellow Box" project which allows Windows apps to run natively, just as Classic Mac OS apps did on Mac OS X, never mind.
Technorati Tags: Apple, Marketing, Microsoft, Virtual PC, VMWare, Windows
posted by Carl Howe at
6:26 PM
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