Virtual PC 7 for the Mac Ships

Virtual PC 7 for the Mac offers compatibility with Apple’s newest generation of computers, improved performance, and easier printing. Acquired from Connectix in Feb. 2003, Virtual PC for the Mac enables users of Apple’s Mac OS X to run Windows applications. Although many popular software packages (including Microsoft Office and Quicken) are available in Mac versions, other applications, such as Visio or internally developed corporate applications, have no direct Mac equivalent. Virtual PC for the Mac allows Mac users to access those applications without requiring a PC in addition to a Mac.

G5 Support Tops New Feature List

Topping the list of new features in Virtual PC 7 is support for the PowerPC G5 processor. The G5 processor lacks a capability provided by its predecessor (the G4) that made it easier for software such as Virtual PC to emulate Intel-based processors. As a result, Microsoft had to significantly rework much of Virtual PC for the Mac. G5 support is particularly important because with the introduction in Sept. 2004 of a G5-based iMac, Apple has moved nearly all of its desktop computers to the new chip. (Apple’s notebook computers continue to use the G4, as does the eMac-a computer priced below US$1,000 aimed largely at the education market.)