This is a fairly significant upgrade for those Windows 7 users wishing to upgrade to Windows 7 Service Pack 1. It does support both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of SP1. Support for Ubuntu Linux 10.10 and 11.04 was also added.

Updates and Support:
* Microsoft Windows 7 Service Pack 1: Support for Windows 7 SP1 32-bit & 64-bit.
* Ubuntu: Support for Ubuntu 10.10 and 11.04 32-bit & 64-bit.
* Microsoft Office: Fixed a problem opening attachments in Outlook 2010.
* Video: Updated Windows WDDM driver with stability improvements.
* File access: Improved reliability accessing shared files on the Mac.
* Internet: Fixed slow first page loading in Internet Explorer 8.
* USB: Improved handling of smartphones including the Nokia N8.

It also resolved a lot of issues, too much to list here, you can read the issues at the VMWare Fusion Support website (this link goes straight to resolved issues). In addition, there are some known issues that you can read as well.

If you already have VMWare Fusion 3.x, this is a free update and can be updated through VMWare Fusion itself. If you need to re-download it, it can be downloaded through the VMWare Support website.

They are claiming speeds up to 70% faster than existing iMacs, and video card updates that are up to three times faster.

It’s still using a 21.5-inch or 27-inch IPS LED-backlit display.

Additions/Changes/Information:
* Starting CPU: Intel Core i5 (Core i7 up to 3.4GHz)
* Thunderbolt I/O (21.5-inch has one port, 27-inch has two)
* Facetime HD camera and software. Full HD between the latest Macs, standard between iPads, iPhone 4, and older Macs.

I believe the iMac is the first desktop to offer Thunderbolt, which came out in the new MacBook Pros a few months ago. It’s up to 10Gbps (not 10GBps) and is over 10 times faster than FireWire 800 and up to 20 times faster than existing USB 2.0. It’s quite a bit faster than USB 3.0 as well. You could run VMs off of a Thunderbolt connected hard drive.

One very unique aspect of Thunderbolt, it’s capable of supporting Gigabit ethernet and high resolution DisplayPort connections with the right adapters.

Low-End 21.5-inch Model:
* Starting Price: $1,199 US
* 21.5-inch Display
* AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512 MB GDDR5 Memory
* 2.5GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
* 4GB DDR 3 (up to 16GB) Memory
* 500 GB Hard Drive

Next 21.5-inch Model:
* Starting Price: $1,499 US
* 21.5-inch Display
* AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 512 MB GDDR5 Memory
* 2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
* 4GB DDR 3 (up to 16GB) Memory
* 1 TB Hard Drive

27-inch iMac
* Starting Price: $1,699 US
* AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512 MB GDDR5 Memory
* 2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
* 4GB DDR 3 (up to 16GB) Memory
* 1 TB Hard Drive

27-inch iMac – Top-End
* Starting Price: $1,999 US
* AMD Radeon HD 6970M with 1 MB GDDR5 Memory
* 3.1GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
* 4GB DDR 3 (up to 16GB) Memory
* 1 TB Hard Drive

The more expensive models of both the 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs can have the CPUs upgraded, with the 21.5-inch taking up to a 2.8GHz Quad-Core i7 and the 27-inch taking up to a 3.4GHz Quad-Core i7.

You also get a choice of a Magic Mouse or a Magic Trackpad for the input device, in addition to the cordless keyboard.

All in all a very powerful upgrade, and one that’s sure to interest quite a few VM users.

SWsoft, the company that makes the popular Parallels virtualization software for Apple Macintoshes, is preparing an encore for Apple servers, The VAR Guy hears. The move could provide customers with an innovative solution for running Windows, Mac OS and Linux side by side on a departmental or small business server. And that could give Apple server sales a boost.

Rarely has a company “out innovated” Apple on its own platforms. But the existing Parallels Desktop for Mac is widely considered a better solution than Apple’s own Boot Camp software for running Windows and Mac OS X on Apple hardware. Those in the know suspect SWsoft will have another hit on its hands when the company extends its software to departmental and small business servers.

Bug Fixes
* Occasional crashes on Guest PC load with no network
* Inability downloading maps to the Garmin GPS

Enhancements
* Better networking
* Better stability and compatibility

If you are a previously registered own of Guest PC, you can obtain the 1.9.7 update here (lismoresystems.com)

We have just made available a new build (1898) for Desktop for Mac that substantially improves Mac Pro and 64-bit iMac performance and eliminates kernel panics and major bugs.

For those users who have Mac Pros and 64-bit iMacs with more than 2GB of RAM, you’ve had to manually limit your RAM via the command line in Terminal. In this build, we’ve included a tool that will help you take this action without any command line coding. With a single click you can limit your RAM and make your Mac Pro fully compatible with this build. You can easily revert your memory back at any time to the full configuration with the same tool.

NOTE: Its very important to note that limiting your RAM configuration to run Parallels Desktop will NOT prevent you from running any other OS X application (although they may run slightly slower). It simply helps our hypervisor “play nice” with the Mac Pro.

Originally, I told you that we’d have full PAE support by year’s end. Now, I’m pleased to let you know that we are working on a new RC version that will be compatible with ANY Mac with ANY amount of RAM, and will have it much sooner than originally anticipated. The engineering team tells me that this build should be available in a week or two.

This build also adds support for Windows Vista RC1 as a guest OS, and adds an improved Parallels Tools package for all of the Vista builds that improves mouse movement, and video resolutions, and beefs up networking.

Thank you again to all of our loyal Desktop users and beta testers. Everyone here appreciates your feedback and your patience.

More information can be found in this thread.

It can be downloaded from here.

Bug Fixes
* Occasional crashes on Guest PC exit
* Drag-and-Drop malfunction after switching from the fullscreen mode

Enhancements
* Better networking
* Improved video in native resolution modes
* Improved USB functionality
* Better stability and compatibility

If you are a previously registered own of Guest PC, you can obtain the 1.9.6 update here (lismoresystems.com)

Of note is the very prominent “64 bit” icon on the main banner.

These come via one digital life.