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Both Citrix and VMware were expected to launch their client hypervisors within the end of last year, but Q1 2010 is almost gone and there’s no sign of them.
Announced in January 2009, Citrix XenClient (codename Project Independence), was expected to arrive in beta somewhere in H2 2009 and in GA by the end of 2009.
VMware Client Virtualization Platform (CVP) instead, was originally announced in September 2008 and then postponed somewhere in H1 2010.
ComputerWorld reported that both companies are behind the schedule because of the many drivers required to control the endless hardware configurations that the market offers today.
The article says that VMware now hope to release CVP by the end of 2010 while Citrix, which is running a XenClient private beta, is not committed to any specific date.
So, not only these platforms will oblige companies to refresh their hardware with new machines that support Intel vPro, but they won’t be realistically mature before another two years, at least.
The startups that offer a client hypervisor today, like Virtual Computer for example, while not specifically focused on VDI may change their strategy soon, and leverage the opportunity while it lasts.
Ironically, the company that has most experience with consumer hardware, and the biggest drivers pool, is the only major virtualization player that didn’t announce any plan to deliver a client hypervisor.
While Microsoft is increasing its commitment on virtual desktop infrastructures, it doesn’t seem to be interested at all in providing the offline VDI benefit to its customers.