Mike Neil, Virtual Machine Technologies Product Unit Manager at Microsoft, sat down with virtualization.info for an exclusive Q&A session.. One answer, in particular, is of interest to Mac OS X users:
VI: Few months ago Microsoft declared its intention to offer a virtualization solution for the new Apple Mac OS X on Intel architecture. Are you still on this path? If so there are raw dates for release?
MN: We haven’t declared intentions to develop a virtualization solution for Intel-based Macs. Microsoft’s Mac business unit remains in the best position to provide a fully integrated non-dual boot solution that works with Windows. This team is working with Apple to incorporate changes in the OS that could allow a Virtual PC solution to work on Intel-based Macs. We’re still in the process of investigating a universal version of Virtual PC.
Full Q&A here.
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key word: investigating
First
Apple will have to tell us what is going in in Leapord!
good one zealot. Investigating could drag out for years…
you’re not first, Silly Ass
“Microsoft’s Mac business unit remains in the best position to provide a fully integrated non-dual boot solution that works with Windows. “
I would argue the validity of his statement.
I think Parallels works nicely and isn’t made by Mafia$oft
key phrase: “We’re still in the process of…”
When has this ever meant anything other than endless feet-dragging at Microflaccid?
who cares about VPC? No one needs it now.
MW: “feed”
As in “More feed for the rumor mills.”
There is no real loss if MS doesn’t produce a new product. Others have already beaten it to the punch and with better products.
Seems to me this is just the latest example of MS falling behind the market. That is why my house has a declining number of PC’s, and increasing number of Macs and iPods.
The train has left the station and this guy is trying to find the schedule.
actually the key phrase is “This team is working with Apple to incorporate changes in the OS that could allow a Virtual PC solution to work on Intel-based Macs.”
I think this puts all the rumors to rest of virtualization being included in Leopard. If Apple put it Leopard, I think Microsoft would drop Mac support and that would include Office. Apple can’t afford to use Microsoft Office at this point in the game.
Kelso,
Apple won’t suffer if MS Office goes away. After all, Macs aren’t in corporate America anyway. Apple could AND should port OpenOffice to the Mac platform.
” I think Microsoft would drop Mac support and that would include Office.”
And what proof do you have of this? None.
MS makes a crapload of money on Office for Mac, you dont just drop a product that makes money when you are a public company with shareholders. Let’s not also forget the anti-trust issue. It isn’t going to go away from MS as long as they hold a monopoly like they do and dropping Office for mac would be viewed as a clear attempt at using monopoly power to influence free markets.
Yeah, I’m wondering if Leopard won’t include a non-dual-boot solution now, because MS is still looking at VPC as a viable option.
That totally blows.
I can’t help but cackle with glee when I think what a screw-up it was for Microsoft to buy VPC from Connectix.
With Parallels, VPC is a defunct turd.
There is a five year agreement to keep Office around on the Mac. Look at what the last five years have brought Apple. in another five, Office for Mac may be entirely unnecessary, as it seems Macs will run practically everything.
Nobody needs it? I’d guess at least 99.9 % of every Mac ever sold does NOT use an Intel chip. Bootcamp/Parallels is not an option for the overwhelming majority of Apple users. Therefore, for those that need Doze, VPC is the best there is.
With Parallels being more affordable anyway and working quite nicely, I hope VPC just plain gets canned for the Intel platform. It was quite a dog anyway. Parallels just flies!
…JayJay
Noraa,
“I think Parallels works nicely and isn’t made by Mafia$oft”
True, but my guess is whatever they would release as the new Virtual PC
would be very similar to Parallels. Further, MS is arrogant enough to think
that they can steal this obscure portion of the market from Parallels based
on the MS name alone. Unfortunately, they are probably right (of course
they may try to buy out Parallels, it’s what they do best).
and that’s not all folks…OS W running on the Vista kernal, coming right up!
This may be true, Jay, but do you think that Microsloth will continue to develop VPC for PPC Macs? Doubtful. They probably figure that anyone that needs VPC for PPC already has it. They are talking future Macs here. As far as I can tell, VPC will be dead in the water. No one will want to run VPC on their Intel Mac when they can boot into “real” Windows when they need to, or use Parallels and have both Windows and OS X running side by side.
Personally, I say good riddance. I bought VPC when it was owned by Connectix. It was great at the time. Microshit bought it and I wouldn’t touch it now. I hope it dies and MS doesn’t make any more money off of it.
The bottom line is if you have an old PPC Mac, you’ve got VPC 7 and that’s probably all you’re ever going to get.
If you have a new Intel Mac, you’ve got Parallels Desktop already, so you don’t need MS to even bother developing any future versions of VPC.
I was just told by an IT guy that very soon all macs will not connect his network due to “security” reasons. I told him that when that happens I will have a powerbook running windows via Parallels or Bootcamp so it doesn’t matter.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” /> VPC is not in the equation.
Jimbo, Of course you are right- i should have added that there’s at best one more version/update that might be sellable and then that’s probably it. I might buy a new version, but only if it virtualized more memory than the pitiful 16-32 megs the present version does. After that, I’d upgrade to an Intel Mac and never consider VPC again.