Run Windows 10 with Fusion on latest MacBook Pro M1 Machine

[Jasec10]

Is there an expected release date on an updated version of Fusion that will run W10 (guest) on MacBook Pro (host) with M1 chip?

[Technogeezer]

Short answer: No, and I wouldn't hold my hold my breath waiting for an answer.  VMware does not comment on dates and content of future product releases.

What little they have said is that they are working on Fusion virtualization on M! Macs.  You can speculate on what that means, but it most likely will not allow you to run x86-based operating systems such as today's Windows 10 on M1 Macs. And no, you can't do it with Parallels either. They have beta code for virtualization on M1 Macs, but note that's for ARM versions of operating systems, not x86/x86_64. That won't allow you to run your Windows 10 guest.

The challenge here is having to emulate the x86 processor in order to run x86 operating systems on ARM processors. It's likely that you'll see Fusion deliver virtualization of ARM versions of Linux first, and then perhaps Windows on ARM should Microsoft ever deem to make that available as production code. That is unless VMware pulls a rabbit out of its hat.

And no, Rosetta 2 is not a solution for the virtualization problem (it's designed for macOS Intel applications, not operating system virtualization).

[Jasec10]

Thanks for the info.  So much for the promise of M1.  So much for cross-platform computing.

[jigger]

Honestly, what did you expect? It was made amply clear by both Apple and Vmware that the new CPU architecture would mean no x86 virtualization in the near future.

You can hardly blame the vendors for your personal oversight. You still have (and had) the opportunity to buy a x86 based Mac if virtualization was important to you.

[Jasec10]

@jiggerthanks for your note.  Shame on me for buying the hype of being able to "run all the applications you love."  That and unwittingly buying into the "new platform go-live testing program" at my expense of time and money.  I guess the good news is I'm still within the return window on my new M1 Mac.  So, maybe that will help send a message.  Or, maybe not.

[Technogeezer]

@Jasec10 I can understand the frustration. VMware is going to have to make some decisions about virtualization on the Mac platform since the shift to Apple Silicon (ARM) is already under way. Apple made the decision to go away from Intel processors for their own reasons. The "unintended consequences" of that decision impact users that depended on virtualization of x86 based operating systems. 

In my mind, VMware will have to deal with the following to determine whether Fusion remains a viable product on Macs in the future:

• What is the technical effort to integrate x86 emulation with acceptable performance and functionality into the hypervisor in order to run x86 code? Users don't need a replay of "Virtual PC" level performance.
• Will Microsoft actually release ARM-based Windows 10 and Server that will allow x86 applications to run on them with an emulator similar to Rosetta 2?
• What will be the market acceptance of ARM based Linux and Windows solutions?

In the interests of full disclosure: I just purchased an M1 Mac mini, and it really is a very nice machine and very fast for what I do. The caveat here is: "for what I do" - Mac applications and iOS applications. Unfortunately right now M1 Macs are not a good choice for those that need to run x86 virtualization to do "what they need to do".

I'm waiting and seeing what direction Microsoft and VMware are going toward...

[Jasec10]

@TechnogeezerI think you've got it summarized right.  I spent a bit of time with the Apple customer support crew this morning.  Basically, we are stuck in the chasm between early adoption and full ecosystem penetration of the new architecture.  Apple was very cool about my return (within the 14-day policy window).  The rep also provided some temporary ideas to help bridge the gap.  I will say that during the process of bricking the return laptop, the erasing and re-install of Big Sur went super, super fast.  So, I can see where the M1, when everyone's on it, will be pretty awesome.  Thanks again for your insights. 

[Ron_Clevenger]

Could the solution be to migrate an existing Fusion Windows image to a cloud service (AWS?) and run it remotely from an M1 Mac or any web connected device?

Is this feasible, and if so, what are the issues?

[Technogeezer]

In my mind, if you can run your existing VM in "the cloud" (whether that means public cloud such as AWS or private cloud such as VMware or another hypervisor) then you should be able to run Microsoft Remote Desktop on the M1 Mac to access the VM via RDP. That assumes that your networking is set up properly to access resources in "the cloud" and the OS you are using supports the RDP protocol (hint, Windows 10 Home does not enable Remote Desktop support)

Issues I see can are actually moving those VM images if you're choosing a public cloud. There are nuances to operation and networking for cloud compute instances that you have to be aware of and account for during the conversion - which is why there are tools out there to assist in migration to cloud.

If you're moving the VM to run on VMware ESX, it's less of a heavy lift,

[ColoradoMarmot]

Just extending on the other comments - there's significant security issues that have to be addressed to lift and shift into an IaaS environment.  Not something to just do, if you know what I mean.

[Jasec10]

Glad to see this thread still has some life in it.  Appreciate the ingenuity and creative thinking on how to get this to work.

At the end of the day, however, I really don't need a science project.  I need an application that works as promised, out of the box, as turn key as possible.  VMware sells the promise of two or more operating systems working on a single device.  I'm will to pay a reasonable price for the functionality because it makes me more productive.  I'm not, however, willing to engage in hours of testing to see if something works, worrying about security issues, and dealing with potential sub-standard performance.  This is not going to help my productivity.  Just sayin'.  

[ColoradoMarmot]

Yup, the only real option is patience...

[I_Am_BillCary]

Is there any new news on this topic?

[Technogeezer]

You might want to take a look at this post from April 15 by @Mikero (VMware product manager for Fusion) in the thread VMWare Fusion running on Apple Silicon and also keep an eye out for the blog post he's hinting at. 

[I_Am_BillCary]

Thanks Technogeezer.