Microsoft is a little slow on the defense as well. Apparently Windows Ultimate comes with a virtual XP mode that pales in comparison to even VMware's free product, Player. Keep it up VMware :)
Almost all of VMWare's products are free, including a version of ESX. Nobody is using Win7 XPM as a VMWare replacement.
The products that are actually useful (eg workstation) are not free. Even those products you mentioned are free only in the sense of free beer -- with obligatory registration.
concur. I stated off on workstation and when i tried to revert to VMPlayer i was dismayed. its barely usable for even running VM's.