We’re pleased and excited to announce the worldwide General Availability of VMware Workstation 11 and VMware Player 7 Pro.
VMware Workstation 11
VMware Workstation™ 11 continues VMware’s tradition of delivering leading edge features and performance that technical professionals rely on every day when working with virtual machines. With support for the latest version of Windows and Linux, the latest processors and hardware, and the ability to connect to VMware vCloud Air, it’s the perfect tool to increase productivity, save time and conquer the cloud.
Key Features Include:
- Unmatched OS Support – VMware Workstation delivers unsurpassed platform compatibility for hundreds of operating systems. Workstation 11 fully supports the latest Microsoft operating systems, from the Windows 8.1 update for the desktop to Windows 2012 R2 for the server. For organizations and technical users that run the latest Linux distribution, Workstation 11 supports Ubuntu 14.10, RHEL 7, CentOS 7, OpenSUSE 13.2 and many more.
- Ready for Windows 10 Technical Preview – Workstation makes it really easy to evaluate new operating systems, test software applications and patches, and reference architectures in an isolated and safe virtual environment. Leverage Workstation’s Snapshot feature to preserves the state of a virtual machine so you can return to a known good state or prior preview build at any time.
- State of the Art Performance – VMware Workstation supports the latest Intel 64-bit x86 processors, including the new Haswell microarchitecture for maximum performance. Taking advantage of key new Haswell extensions, the solution also delivers up to 45 percent improvement in CPU intensive operations like multimedia and encryption/decryption compared to Workstation 10.
- Powerful Virtual Machines and Graphics – Create virtual machines with up to 16 vCPUs, 8 TB virtual disks, 64 GB memory, and now 2GB video memory. Graphics-intensive applications can now be given an additional boost by allocating up to 2 GB of video memory per virtual machine.
- Connection to VMware vCloud Air – Connect to VMware vCloud Air to extend and scale virtual machines on a public cloud. Developers can easily connect to VMware vCloud Air and upload, run, and view virtual machines right from the Workstation interface to easily collaborate with remote team members and scale through a public cloud.
Read the VMware Workstation 11 Release Notes for a complete list of new features and updates.
VMware Player 7 Pro
VMware Player 7 Pro™ is a streamlined desktop virtualization application that runs multiple operating systems on the same computer without rebooting. With its simple user interface, unmatched operating system support and portability, it’s now easier than ever for IT professionals to get their users up and running with a corporate desktop. Player 7 Pro is licensed for commercial use and is enabled to run restricted virtual machines created by VMware Workstation 11 and Fusion® Pro 7.
Key Features Include:
- Enhanced Operating System Compatibility – VMware Player 7 Pro will run on the latest release of Windows including Windows 8.1 and will support prevalent operating systems like Windows XP and Windows 7 in a virtual environment so users can continue to run legacy applications as long as they need.
- Greater Hardware Compatibility – VMware Player 7 Pro will be optimized to run on today’s modern hardware including the latest PC laptops and high-resolution tablets.
- Updated VMware Compatibility – VMware Player 7 Pro will be able to run restricted virtual machines created by VMware Workstation 11 or VMware Fusion 7 Pro. Restricted virtual machines secure corporate desktops with encryption, runtime password protection, USB access restriction, isolation between the host and guest OS, and time limitation.
Read the VMware Player 7 Pro Release Notes for a complete list of new features and updates.
New System Requirements
While 32 bit operating systems are supported inside virtual machines, VMware Workstation 11 and Player 7 Pro require 64 bit processor and 64 bit host operating systems for advanced computing and enhanced performance.
Availability and Pricing
VMware Workstation 11 and VMware Player 7 Pro are available immediately for purchase and download from http://www.vmware.com for $249.99 and $149.99 respectively.
Upgrades from VMware Workstation 9.x and 10.x to Workstation 11 are priced at $149.99 and upgrades from VMware Player 6 Plus to VMware Player 7 Pro are priced at $79.99. VMware Workstation 11 and Player 7 Pro are also available via VMware channel partners.
Customers who purchased VMware Workstation 10 and VMware Player 6 Plus between October 2014 and December 2014 will receive a free electronic upgrade to VMware Workstation 11 and VMware Player 7 Pro respectively. For more details, visit the Workstation 11 upgrade page and the Player 7 Pro upgrade page.
We hope you enjoy using VMware Workstation 11 and Player 7 Pro as much as we enjoyed creating it.
– The VMware Workstation Team
