Workstation for Windows and Linux is targeted at IT administrators who need to test new operating system releases or application patches, as well as business users like sales pros who need to demo apps running on a laptop, says VMware’s Pat Lee, director of end-user computing. VMware is simultaneously upgrading Workstation, the company’s first product released 12 years ago, to the eighth major version, bringing enhanced integration with vSphere, VMware’s flagship hypervisor and server virtualization management software.

These new features bring VMware up to par with rival Parallels, whose Desktop for Mac product was upgraded earlier this month to support Launchpad and Mission Control, full-screen Windows apps, and the ability to run multiple copies of OS X on the same machine. Users can also switch between Windows applications using Lion’s new trackpad gestures and run apps in full-screen mode.īecause Lion allows users to run multiple copies of Mac OS X on the same machine, Fusion 4 adds support for this feature, “allowing users to get more from their Mac by running OS X Lion, OS X Lion Server, Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server and Mac OS X Leopard Server in virtual machines,” VMware says.

VMware Fusion 4, available for download today on VMware’s website, boosts the speed of Windows applications running in a virtual machine on Mac desktops, while allowing them to be added to Launchpad and Mission Control, the new application organization features of Lion. VMware is rolling out major upgrades to Fusion for Mac and Workstation for Windows and Linux, allowing Fusion to take advantage of Lion-specific features of Mac OS X, and boosting integration between Workstation and vSphere to make life easier for developers and IT pros.

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