On Monday virtualization software Lord VMware uncover plans to enter the Mac market place . But at this former point , the company ’s plans tender more questions than answers .

VMwarefirst come to the attention of PC users in the late ’ 90s as it begin offer virtualization ware aimed at initiative and business users who need to run alternative operating systems and diligence software without using a dissimilar computing machine altogether . VMWare is now wreak that same technology to the Mac , though the companionship is being deliberately faint about which mathematical product will make the Mac cutting off .

In fact , VMware ’s appearance in San Francisco this week was simply an introduction to Mac substance abuser — the company ’s opportunity to say “ hi , ” and hear ( at least from Mac developer ) what Mac users are appear for in a virtualization product that let them run Windows and other X86 - base operating systems on their Macs without feature to boot first .

dependable virtualization products are still a novelty on the Mac , thanks to the Second Coming of Christ of Intel - establish Macs in January and the more recent sacking of Parallels Desktop for Macintosh . VMware and other company are hoping to capitalize on this in the coming months — one could argue that virtualization is truly a “ grampus app ” for the Intel Mac . Some pundits have even pointed to virtualization as a way for Apple to repeat its market share quickly , grabbing customer who might have otherwise opted for a PC simply for the gismo of bleed software they ca n’t use on a Mac .

At a hotel cortege near the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday afternoon , VMware representative showed off a cogent evidence of conception of VMware operating on Intel - base Macs , though they were thrifty to note that what they were showing was n’t anything even secretive to a finished intersection . It was truly rasping around the edges , but it worked well enough for the demonstration - givers to say , “ Behold . VMware , on the Mac ! ”

It ’ll be much close to the terminal of the year before Mac users see an offer from VMware , even in beta release — hopefully sometime in November . The society is already accepting applications programme and had receive more than 10,000 by lunch period on Monday , grant to a voice .

One matter that describe VMware from other virtualization software package developers is the width of its product line — the caller has data - heart and soul management product as well as products aimed at developer and technical school professionals , enterprise users , and home user . VMware ’s heavy possible Mac contender , Parallels , already has a Desktop product aimed at home and business sector drug user , and will follow up with a server Cartesian product that will be in beta by class ’s conclusion .

Which products VMware specifically plans for the Mac remain an open question . How much users can expect to give for a VMWare product , what it will do and what it wo n’t do are also open questions . That ’s part of why VMware came to San Francisco this week .

VMware group ware coach Srinivas Krishnamurti toldMacworldthat his company has been pleasantly surprised with the level of interest Mac developers visit the company ’s suite have show in seeing VMware ’s server products come to the political platform . The pursuit no doubt is sparked at least in part from Apple ’s introduction Monday of an Intel Xeon - based Xserve , which the company expect to ship in October .

So , the virtualization market for the Mac grows a fleck denser this calendar week — even if VMware does n’t have a mathematical product to transport flop now , it ’s a sinewy presence in the marketplace , and it ’s sure to make thing interesting in the month to make out . Microsoft ’s decision to kill Virtual PC doubtlessly has some Intel Mac users scrambling for solutions .

For what it ’s worth , Parallels is n’t sit down still either — it just released a novel genus Beta of its Desktop product on Tuesday and is actively work on another version that will be exhaust later this year with features like graphics acceleration .

Whodathunkit ? Apple transition the Mac to Intel chips , and within a few month one of the big growing sector of the mart is in software that lets you run Windows on the Mac . But if it brings more people to the platform , all the better .