The Recently Released free vSphere Client for iPad: A Promising First Impression

As with everyone else in the virtualization community, I too have had a play with the recently released free vSphere Client for iPad. While it may seem like just another review of the same old thing, I’d like to offer my own unique perspective on this new app and what it might mean for the future of VMware vCenter.

First Impressions

The first impression of the vSphere Client for iPad is quite positive. The app looks great, with a sleek and modern design that makes it feel like a native iPad app. It’s also surprisingly intuitive to use, with most features easily accessible from the main menu.

One of the standout features of the app is its ability to provide a quick overview of your virtual environment. With just a few taps, you can view your host machines, clusters, and virtual machines, as well as important metrics such as CPU usage and memory utilization. This makes it easy to quickly check on the health of your infrastructure and identify any potential issues.

Basic Feature Set, but Promising Future

While the feature set of the vSphere Client for iPad is pretty basic at present, there’s still a lot of potential for future development. For example, it would be great to see support for more advanced features such as power management and configuration changes. Additionally, the use of the vCMA as its backend could pave the way for other solutions using the same API to connect to VMware vCenter.

One thing that I do agree with Juan Manuel Rey / @jreypo on is the need for a cross-platform vCenter Client. While the iPad app is a great start, it would be even more beneficial if it could be used on other devices such as laptops and desktops. This would make it easier for users to access their virtual environment from any device, regardless of its form factor.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the vSphere Client for iPad is a promising first step towards a cross-platform vCenter Client. While it may not have the most advanced feature set at present, there’s still a lot of potential for future development and integration with other solutions. As VMware continues to innovate and expand its virtualization offerings, it will be interesting to see how this app evolves and grows in the future.