VMware Fusion 4 [Old Version]

This was well suited for my specific needs. I got stuck when I did a clean install on my Apple laptop that was tweaked enough that doing a fresh install was bad for my set up but a upgrade would allow me to keep running. This update from Fusion 3 allowed me to bridge that gap. Seems to run at least as well as Fusion 3 did.

Fusion 4 works well, as has been stated in numerous other reviews. And overall I like it. But I do find it annoying on some levels.

I tried this to help hubby do some office work at home, but on our Macs this took up way too much space and memory. It works, but was glitchy and slow.

Ive had great experience using Fusion at work, tied to Windows Server, running Windows XP Pro, for business related purposes. It has given me very little problems, and most of the problems are either windows related or a program on windows, like Quickbooks. Ive used parallels in the past, and it worked ok, but it took over my Mac system, installing different network settings that were almost impossible to change. I noticed after trying to configure either Parallels or Fusion to connect to a server as part of our network, Fusion connects easier, at least with my personal experience. I dont have any info in terms of using Fusion for games/3D performance. But if you are a business user who needs to be productive, connect your Mac to your Windows Server/Network, and have a rather easy setup, Id recommend Fusion.

I found the download from disc much more difficult to handle than the free trial that I used first. It still does not work correctly, I had to load Windows twice to get it to work without freezing up it works but not as well as I had hoped.

This helps bring the stability of the OSX with the universality of windows. I like it. It is clean and straightforward...without too much fluff.

After using VMware Fusion for a few months it has become a regular tool in my web development tasks. A few of the reasons I enjoy working with Fusion is:

Used VMWare Fusion 4 on the Mac and the integration into the desktop as well as the seamless performance is the best that one can hope for. Very good stability, copy/paste functionality, and graphics. If you own a Mac you should definitely own this product for the occasional Windows program. I found it critical to use for MS Office during work activities for the greatest document exchange compatibility as well as the more robust Outlook version.

I have been using this product for over 6 months now. It is functional in the sense that it does allow you to run Windows on a Mac but it sometimes takes several minutes for this program to load on a Nov 2011 MacBook Pro (with plenty of memory and plenty of hard drive space available). I need this program (or one of its competitors) to allow me to run a Windows only program (Minitab) on my Mac. I read good things about the newer version of this program being faster and I am more than willing to pay to upgrade to the newer version. My one and only reservation is I dont want to have to spend all the time and find all the activation codes to reinstall Windows, my anti-virus software, and Minitab on my Mac. I have repeatedly written to and called VMware trying to get one simple question answered - will upgrading to Fusion 5 require me to reinstall all my Windows based software or will it simply keep what is already installed on my Mac without me having to spend the time to reinstall everything?

If you buy this with a Mac and expect a rebate, dont hold your breath. Ive tried twice and both times got stiffed. I have heard from others that this is some kind of racket with this company - promise a rebate and then never send it. If its worth it to you at full price, knock yourself out, but plan on not getting your rebate.