VMware reports strong initial interest in its virtualization software designed to operate on the Mac , but skeptics doubt it will improve Apple ’s share of the enterprise market .
About 70,000 people read for a detached download of the software package prior to the button of thebeta versionDec . 21 and since then , about one-half of them have carry on with the download , said Srinivas Krishnamurti , director of product direction and securities industry development for VMware .
VMware controls the majority of the market for virtualization software in the x86 server market , but it has never endure on a Mac because of Apple ’s trust on the IBM PowerPC chip platform for its calculator . With the changeover of Apple to Intel processor , that barrier is removed , Krishnamurti said .
VMware software lay down it potential for a Mac user to run Windows or Linux - ground software on the same simple machine .
This should appeal to business that have some Macs in their IT substructure but also rely on Windows programs , such as the Outlook e - chain mail programme , that do n’t run on a Mac .
“ There are enterprises that buy a PC for their Mac users so they end up running two machine on each desk , ” Krishnamurti said . “ Now they do n’t have to buy that spare hardware . ”
If Macs can run Windows or Linux and the Intel processors are faster than the PowerPC central processor Apple used previously , Apple may be capable to sell more Macs into the endeavour market , said Schoun Regan , master executive ship’s officer ofITInstruction.com , a company that provides training for Mac user . Regan will be one of the instructors during theMacIT Conferencethat coincides with theMacworld Conference & ExpoJan . 8 to 12 in San Francisco .
But VMware is n’t the only virtualization option for Macs , Regan say . Parallels already sellsa virtualization productfor $ 80 per Mac computer , plus $ 7 for service , and has been sell to the Mac mart for about a yr .
Although Parallels has first - mover advantage in the market , VMware ’s dominance in the Windows market may defeat Parallels ’ Pb , said Mike Murray , laminitis ofEpisteme.ca , a San Francisco - based Web - based business for IT career provision .
Although the all - Apple IT base of his tiny inauguration consists only of two desktop computer , two notebooks and a file server , he eagerly anticipate the VMware beta , regularly see VMware ’s site for the download .
While a Mac buff , Murray occasionally demand to run away Windows programs . “ As much as I am a fan of the Mac , it ’s still a Windows world . ”
endeavor much larger than Episteme are using virtualization to ascertain IT spending by making more efficient usance of their hardware .
Virtualization may make it easier to incorporate Macs into a Windows man , but it still may not improve Apple ’s plowshare of the enterprisingness market place , said Mark Margevicius , an analyst with Gartner .
Although Apple remain strong in lifelike design , publishing and making animate Hollywood movies , Margevicius said , Apple still has n’t aggressively pursued the enterprise market .
“ That ’s still more of a upright playing period for them , ” he said .
