Peter Cohen of Macworld writes that Microsoft is dropping Virtual PC for Mac. Kind of surprising, since Virtual PC probably helps sell quite a few copies of Windows, but as the article points out, when Microsoft bought Connectix (the original developers of Virtual PC), they had an already-made solution to the issue of Virtual PC on the Mac. With the move to Intel, they’d have to develop a completly new version.
At Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) on Monday Microsoft’s Macintosh Business Unit (Mac BU) indicated that it will not develop a new version of Virtual PC, its PC emulation software.
“Mac BU has made the decision not to move forward with a Universal version of Virtual PC at this time; however, current Virtual PC customers will continue to receive product support,†said a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement.
“Developing a high-quality virtualization solution, such as Virtual PC, for the Intel-based Mac is similar to creating a version 1.0 release due to how closely the product integrates with Mac hardware,†the statement concluded.
Virtual PC’s performance is considerably slower than virtual machine software such as Parallels Desktop, which is available for Intel-based Macs, or Boot Camp, Apple’s beta software that enables an Intel Mac to run Windows natively.
Microsoft recognizes the need for some Mac users to access Windows applications, and suggests that “alternative solutions offered by Apple and other vendors, combined with a fully packaged retail copy of Windows, will satisfy this need.â€