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Sjd181969
Contributor
Contributor

VMware Fusion 12 running on Apple Silicon

Hi

Will Fusion ever operate on macs running on Apple Silicon chips as it’s important that I can continue to run my x64 Linux vm images if I upgrade to a new Apple silicon based Mac 

I couldn’t see any official comment on this from VMware 

 

 

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Domo96
Contributor
Contributor

Yeah, and with support for running Windows OS on Mac M1. But no word from VMWare? What's the latest, at least in response to this offering from Parallels?

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ColoradoMarmot
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Champion

VMWare has answered.  Parallels is violating the EULA themselves and encouraging their customers to also violate the EULA.  There is no legal way to run Windows 10 on a Mac.  Full Stop.  Since VMWare has a strategic relationship with Microsoft, they've elected to not violate their contracts.

 

We will see Fusion for M1 - I expect a preview soon (probably at their conference), and a release likely in October when Monterey comes out.

VirtualMac2009
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Great news!

Private Tech Preview for VMware Fusion on ARM-based Apple Silicon

https://t.co/udQsATVuFA?amp=1

Technogeezer
Immortal
Immortal

Saw the announcement by Michael Roy via Twitter https://twitter.com/mikeroysoft/status/1435710030389547012?s=21

Also noted in the tweet that the public tech preview will drop in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed.

- Paul (Technogeezer)
Editor of the Unofficial Fusion Companion Guides
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TECH198
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

What evidence do you have of this ?  MS has a tech preview of Windows 10 ARM edition, anyone can sign up for and download...  which you import to Parallels...

 

Arm is Arm,,,,  regardless if it's a PC or M1 Mac.. Its the same architecture, so one EULA would apply to both..

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ColoradoMarmot
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Champion

As other members of the forum have pointed out, we have to be precise between the EULA for OEM licenses and the EULA for retail licenses.  The only option with Windows 10 ARM is an OEM license, which can only be legally sold and installed on the hardware on which it's shipped - they don't offer a retail license at all, so there's no way to get a legal license for Windows 10 ARM to run on Apple hardware.  The insider license may be under different terms (that's somewhat unclear, but it appears that it's an OEM license as well), but that's not a production release in any case, so somewhat moot.

Macrumors notes. ironically in the Fusion article, that Parallels is now alerting users to potential license issues, so apparently they are aware of the license issues as well.  I suppose the difference is that Parallels doesn't have a large microsoft virtualization business at risk if they annoy them, so they've elected to push the envelope.  VMWare does, and has decided not to.

What we don't know yet, is what the Windows 11 license options will be.  I suspect we'll get that at their own release event coming up shortly.  As long as they sell a retail license, or update the terms on the OEM license, even if it's not supported on Apple hardware, then we'll be good to go.  Fingers crossed!

P.S. There were similar issues with Windows 7 OEM licenses being virtualized (e.g. P2V as well as outright new installs), but since there weren't any technical differences, Fusion just worked.

VirtualMac2009
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Hopefully, Microsoft will change policies:

Microsoft says Windows on ARM will not support Apple M1 Macs https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/09/13/microsoft-says-windows-on-arm-will-not-support-apple-m1-m...

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ColoradoMarmot
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Support and allow are two different things.  Hopefully we'll have a non-OEM license available.  That's all it'll take.

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VirtualMac2009
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

VMWare Fusion and The Apple M1 Chip: Q&A With VMWare’s Michael Roy
https://intuitivestories.com/vmware-fusion-apple-m1-chip-qa-vmware-michael-roy.html

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VirtualMac2009
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

More (hopefully VMware Fusion will allow that as well):

.

Just Released – Parallels Desktop 17.1 Update Fully Supports macOS Monterey and Windows 11

Creating a Windows 11 VM on an M1 Mac is slightly different from creating a Windows 11 VM on an Intel Mac, so I have made a video showing the entire process.

https://www.parallels.com/blogs/parallels-desktop-17-update

and

Windows 11 in a Parallels Desktop VM: An Update

Run macOS Monterey VMs on Apple M1 Mac with a better user experience! 

https://www.parallels.com/blogs/windows-11-tpm

.

Note to admins: the dots above are to prevent this web forum removing carriage returns when using Safari 15.0 on macOS 11.6 (20G165) Big Sur. It would be great if that could be fixed. Thanks!

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VirtualMac2009
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

If Parallels can do it, why not VMware Fusion?

Featuring Parallels at Microsoft Ignite 2021
Parallels Desktop for Mac… Designed and optimized for business and learning environments to run Windows applications on an Intel or Apple M1 chip Mac.

https://www.parallels.com/blogs/parallels-microsoft-ignite-2021

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gringley
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

The problem here is that only Parallels talks like Windows on M1 is a supported thing. Given that both Microsoft and Apple executives when asked stated that neither party plans to support Windows on M1 Mac - that makes Parallels a "Dead Man Walking" as the product that drives its business model has been killed.  Of course Parallels is doing this. Parallels entire business is Windows on Mac.  

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Technogeezer
Immortal
Immortal

I would be very interested to see if Parallels actually has the guts to show an M1 Mac running the released Windows for ARM under Parallels Desktop at Microsoft Ignite. If that happens, I would like to see someone from VMware bluntly asking Microsoft "how come you're letting Parallels promote something you won't support?".

- Paul (Technogeezer)
Editor of the Unofficial Fusion Companion Guides
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GregChristopher
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Creative wording but doesn't mention that the windows Apps running on M1 are intel based.

It's definitely a dead end, although everyone here most likely wants it.

Apple is great at breaking their API, both accidentally and intentionally.

When apple is ready to pull the plug, they will simply remove the intel instruction set pipeline from the M1 that quickly translates the instructions to ARM. Then it's game over for that roadmap.

Microsoft has to follow the ARM path or go extinct and they will follow eventually, just like they always do. Leading is something they don't do.

The marketing plan is more about doing what they can get away with. They have a bit more time before the M1 eats enough of their business for them to make changes.

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VirtualMac2009
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Well, it seems possible:

Installing Windows 11 on Apple M1 Mac w/VMware Fusion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0f--nvPBCA

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VirtualMac2009
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

The plot thickens:

There's No Windows for Arm Macs Yet Because Microsoft Has Secret Exclusivity Deal With Qualcomm

https://www.macrumors.com/2021/11/22/microsoft-qualcomm-arm-windows-exclusive-deal

 

Qualcomm, Microsoft deal could explain lack of Windows on Apple Silicon

https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/11/22/qualcomm-microsoft-deal-could-explain-lack-of-windows-on-...

 

Qualcomm has an exclusivity deal with Microsoft for Windows on ARM

https://www.xda-developers.com/qualcomm-exclusivity-deal-microsoft-windows-on-arm

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AdamK2
Contributor
Contributor

Glad that Parallels can make Windows 11 work on a mac.

Yet, has anyone tested an Acivex enabled Excel spreadsheet on Windows for ARM in Parallels and/or VMWare? 
I am afraid that this old technology (invented in 1996 !) is not supported on Win ARM versions.

 

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wila
Immortal
Immortal


@AdamK2 wrote:

Glad that Parallels can make Windows 11 work on a mac.

Yet, has anyone tested an Acivex enabled Excel spreadsheet on Windows for ARM in Parallels and/or VMWare? 
I am afraid that this old technology (invented in 1996 !) is not supported on Win ARM versions.

 


I would test it for you if I had a mac with Apple Silicon.. but what makes you think it wouldn't work?

Just because ActiveX is old? Are you aware that -even today- a lot of windows internals are built around ActiveX? That while no-one talks about it much anymore, that it is literally everywhere.
If ActiveX would not work, then a lot of things would be broken, including crucial parts of Windows and the Windows desktop environment itself.
Also that a lot of the Windows internals outside of ActiveX have a similar history, designed around 199x and refined over the years.

That you can still run things like Visual Basic 6 applications on Windows 11 without a hitch.
This is that one thing in which Microsoft really excels, keep old things working.

--
Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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Technogeezer
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Immortal

@AdamK2 have you asked this question in a Microsoft forum? If Office apps running on Windows 11 ARM don’t support ActiveX controls, I would think that’s a Microsoft issue not a Fusion or Parallels issue. 

 


- Paul (Technogeezer)
Editor of the Unofficial Fusion Companion Guides
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ColoradoMarmot
Champion
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It's more a question of if windows 11 - on any platform - will support code that old.  If so, will the windows 11 x86 emulation support it?

In either case, those are definitely microsoft questions, not fusion questions.

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