VMware Fusion 12 Announced With Support for macOS Big Sur, eGPUs, and More

by

VMware today is announcing Fusion 12, the next major update to Fusion, its virtualization software that allows users to run a variety of operating systems on virtual machines within macOS.

vmware fusion 12 pro player
Fusion 12 brings several new updates and improvements, including eGPU compatibility, support for container-based applications built with Kubernetes, DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.1 support, improved security for the sandbox rendering engine, improved accessibility controls, and more.

VMware has also prepared Fusion 12 for the upcoming launch of macOS Big Sur, which will continue Apple's transition toward ending support for kernel extensions. VMware says that Fusion 12 will continue to run with kernel extensions on macOS Catalina, but will also support macOS Big Sur by using Apple's APIs to run its virtual machines and containers.

Finally, with this new version of Fusion, VMware is also shaking up its pricing with a new Fusion 12 Player licensing structure that is free for personal use. Fusion 12 Player users who want to use the software for commercial use will be able to purchase a license for $149, with an upgrade license available for $89 to those currently running Fusion 10 or 11.

A professional-level Fusion 12 Pro offers some additional power-user features and allows you to run on up to three devices (including Windows or Linux PCs running VMware's Workstation Pro), with pricing set at $199 for a new license or $99 as an upgrade. Discounted educational pricing will also be available for Fusion 12, although many students will also be able to take advantage of the free personal use license.

Users who purchased Fusion 11.5 or Fusion 11.5 Pro after June 15 will be eligible for a free upgrade to Fusion 12 Player (commercial license) or Fusion 12 Pro.

VMware hasn't yet announced a specific launch date for Fusion 12 Player and Fusion 12 Pro, other than a general timeframe of later this fiscal quarter, which runs through October for VMware. They will be available through VMware's online store and other outlets.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with VMware. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Tags: Fusion, VMware

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
Read Full Article • 28 comments
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Drops Plans for iPhone Hardware Subscription Service

Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
Read Full Article • 109 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Rumored to Stick With 'Triangular' Camera Design

Wednesday December 18, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
Read Full Article • 153 comments
elevation lab airtag battery

Your AirTag's Battery Will Last for Up to 10 Years With Elevation Lab's New TimeCapsule Enclosure

Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Elevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag. Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...
Read Full Article • 129 comments
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
Read Full Article • 176 comments
blackmagic vision pro

Blackmagic Debuts $30K 3D Camera for Capturing Video for Vision Pro

Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro. The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
Read Full Article • 95 comments
mac pro creativity

Apple Launched the Controversial 'Trashcan' Mac Pro 11 Years Ago Today

Thursday December 19, 2024 7:00 pm PST by
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
Read Full Article • 159 comments
iPhone 17 Slim Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With 'Major' Design Changes and 19-Inch MacBook Detailed in New Report

Sunday December 15, 2024 9:47 am PST by
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie. The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...
Read Full Article • 136 comments

Top Rated Comments

alex2792 Avatar
alex2792
57 months ago

But still I don't understand whether Windows will be supported/emulated when you run BigSur on ARM. Or will this work only with Intel+BigSur?
Intel only.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nph Avatar
nph
57 months ago
Well, with this pricing it is bye bye Parallels and VMWare here i come! I only use it occasionally so for me the new pricing is perfect. For my intel imac I can then run Windows the few times i need to without the recurring cost Parallels charge.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Marbles1 Avatar
Marbles1
57 months ago
Cool. Glad a bought this years MacBook Pro. Will be great to have years of support for running Windows apps alongside Mac apps, rather than going back to the restrictions we left behind in the 2000s.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
martmeister Avatar
martmeister
57 months ago
Am I the only one here excited by the prospect of not having to shell out $49 or $79 annually for a personal license? I have been using Parallels for years and spent the better part of $300-$400 in licenses. Can't wait to stop having to pay for this. Excited to test out VMWare.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
the writer Avatar
the writer
57 months ago
My humble opinion is that Microsoft will spend some dollars and improve Windows on ARM to make it a viable option. Then there's no reason you won't be able to Boot Camp in to Windows on ARM or run a Windows VM. Yes, it won't be an X86 version of Windows, it will be the ARM version of Windows and all the reasons you Boot Camp or VM in to Windows will still apply for you or they won't. And of course it will require a different, ARM-based, version of Fusion. As a Senior Business Architect, I need a functioning Windows platform and it's nice to have one in a VM so I don't have to reboot.

The real question for me is if Microsoft will port its business applications like MS Project and MS Visio to run on the ARM version of Windows. Yes, there are MacOS alternatives, some much better than Microsoft's offerings, but that's not the point when working with large corporate clients.

I do see a problem for gamers. But Apple computers were never really gaming machines. As with all software, it's going to depend on whether or not the software creators of gaming or business apps create ARM ports of their products. For me that's a wait and see game.

Given that I intend to keep using my existing Intel-based mac for at least another year or two, and that I will upgrade to BigSur, I will upgrade to VM Ware Fusion Pro 12. For me it's a no-brainer. I need to keep things running smoothly.

I'm sure that for many others here there needs and wants are different from mine. I'm just sharing my thoughts and what it means for me. Just my $0.02.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrfr Avatar
chrfr
53 months ago

This is not accurate. You can emulate x86 (32bit) on ARM, in fact this is what Microsoft does for older software on Windows 10 on ARM. Here is the link to Microsoft explaining details and how it works.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/porting/apps-on-arm

They are also working on bringing 64bit Intel processor apps to ARM, but this could be a year so so way. There was a mention of Microsoft selling the ARM based version like they do the Intel version.
You’ve essentially repeated back what the poster said, but said it’s not accurate. It is exactly accurate to say that running x86 or x64 binaries on the Apple CPUs requires emulation, not virtualization.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments