Parallels releases a new version of their virtualization software for the Mac that makes Mac/Windows integration more seamless along with tools and performance enhancements.
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Parallels is upgrading its Mac app today with three new Toolbox Packs that include various collections of features for specific needs. Each Toolbox Pack is available for Parallels on both macOS. How can I force Parallels networking to obtain an IP through a wireless router? However, I also need to be able to connect up to a wireless router. This hasn't been a problem on the Mac OS X side, but the program that I need to run on the router has to obtain an IP address from the wireless access point. Then there should be an option. My laptop running Windows 7 Home Premium (on Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac) cannot connect to a network on wireless. I tried plugging in the Ethernet cable, and then unplugging the router and modem from the AC power for about 30 seconds, and then plugging it back in.
$79.99
Parallels Desktop is the fastest and friendliest way to run Windows apps on a Mac for the majority of users who are likely to want to do so. IT pros may prefer VMware Fusion; expert users who want no-cost apps will prefer the open-source VirtualBox. Hardcore gamers may prefer Apple's Boot Camp, which lets users boot directly into Windows, with the added bonus of native graphics card support. For most ordinary Mac users who prefer Windows versions of apps like Microsoft Office or AutoCAD, however, or who use Windows-only apps like CorelDraw or WordPerfect Office, Parallels Desktop is the clear first choice for virtualization software.
Platforms and Pricing
Parallels Desktop supports all Windows versions since Windows 2000, all Intel-based macOS versions (with some exceptions for licensing reasons), many flavors of Linux, BSD, Solaris, and a few other OSes. VMware Fusion and VirtualBox are even more flexible, and can run historical curiosities like OS/2 and NeXTSTEP. Also, unlike Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion and VirtualBox have versions that run on Windows and Linux machines, while Parallels Desktop is Mac-only.
There's one other important difference: Parallels Desktop is a subscription-only product, so you'll have to pay $79.99 per year for the home-and-student version or $99.99 for the Pro Edition. VMware Fusion has a one-time cost (a model some consumers may prefer) of $79.99 for its standard version and $159.99 for its Pro version. VirtualBox is free for personal use and $50 for corporate use, but you get far fewer convenience features out of the box with this open-source product.
Get Started With Parallels
Parallels starts up with a menu for creating a new virtual machine or opening an existing one. This is where Parallels' focus on ordinary end users shines best. Unlike all other virtualization apps, Parallels doesn't expect you to have a Windows or Linux installer disk or disk image ready when you start it up, although it can use that image if you have one. Instead, Parallel's user-helpful menu lets you buy a Windows 10 download directly from Microsoft, or simply download a Windows 10 installer if you already have a license key.
Another set of options lets you install a Parallels system-export utility on your Windows PC, and export it to Parallels via a network (slowly) or an external drive. A scrolling list at the foot of the menu lets you download specific versions of Linux or Android, install a virtual copy of macOS from your Mac's hidden recovery partition, or install Windows from a Boot Camp partition if you have one.
Like VMware and VirtualBox, Parallels supports a Snapshot feature that lets you save a guest system in one or more configurations that you know works well, and then restore a saved configuration after making changes in the system that you don't want to preserve. However, Parallels is unique in supplementing this feature with a Rollback option that automatically discards all changes to a system when you shut it down, so it works like a kiosk system, returning to its pristine condition every time you power it up. This feature can be invaluable in testing, or in environments like schools where users are liable to leave systems a lot messier than they found them. If you used Microsoft's long-abandoned VirtualPC app, you'll remember this feature, and will welcome its return in Parallels.
Parallel's Performance
Compared to VMware, Parallels starts up Windows at top speed in testing. On my vintage 2015 MacBook Pro, Parallels boots Windows 10 to the desktop in 35 seconds, compared to 60 seconds for VMware. VirtualBox matches Parallels' boot speed, but it performs far fewer integration tasks while booting up. For example, VirtualBox doesn't provide printer integration and the ability to open Windows files with Mac apps and vice versa.
One reason for Parallels' bootup speed advantage is that Parallels uses an emulated PC BIOS that supports the Fast Startup option, and the others don't. The speed difference isn't nearly as obvious when running Windows apps after the OS starts up, however. Parallels feels slightly faster than its rivals, but not drastically so. Fast as it is, Parallels won't satisfy hard-core gamers because Parallels, like VMware Fusion, only supports DirectX 10, while VirtualBox only supports DirectX 9. There's nothing that Parallels can do about this limitation, which is the result of the Mac's limited support for OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) features.
By default when Parallels runs a Windows system, any files on your Mac desktop will also appear on your Windows desktop. This may sound convenient, but it's a feature that I always to turn off in Parallels' settings dialog. One reason I turn it off is that it leaves the Windows desktop cluttered. Another is that much of what I keep on my Mac desktop—like folders and apps—simply won't work when I click on them in Parallels' Windows desktop. Parallels tends to go overboard with integration features, turning them on by default whether you want them or not.
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Another way Parallels goes overboard with its integration is its tendency to clutter up its dialogs and your Mac system with icons and folders that you probably don't want. For example, by default, it adds a folder full of Windows application to your Mac's dock, and a Parallels menu to Mac's menu bar—though you can turn these off by poking around the options and preferences windows. Some of Parallels' menus include links to a set of Mac-related utilities called the Parallels Toolbox; some of these utilities, like a quick disk-cleaning menu, are convenient, but you probably don't want all of them, and they have nothing to do with virtualization. Another link on Parallels' menus invites you to buy Acronis True Image backup software, which you probably don't need if you use your Mac's built-in backup features.
Parallel Computing
Anyone who wants to run a Windows app on the Mac should choose between our two Editors' Choice apps, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion. For IT managers, developers, and for many tech-savvy users, VMware is the best choice. For most home, school, and SOHO users who don't need VMware's unique cross-platform support and legacy features, Parallels Desktop is the fastest, most hassle-free way to run Windows apps on a Mac.
Parallels Desktop (for Mac)
Bottom Line: Parallels Desktop is an excellent way to run Windows apps on MacOS, especially for ordinary users. It's fast in testing, offers tight integration between Macs and guest systems, and supports many other OSes, too.
Other Parallels Software International System & Performance
[Check out the latest version of Parallels: Review: Parallels Desktop 12 - How to use Windows on a Mac]
Hot on the heels of VMware's update of Fusion 3 comes Parallels Desktop for Mac 5.0. Like Fusion, Parallels now boasts support for Microsoft's WDDM graphics, allowing Aero effects in Windows Vista and Windows 7.
Parallels for mac latency. And as with Fusion 3, Parallels Desktop for Mac 5.0 can list many new features and interface tweaks, to what was already a well-specified and mature application. In fact, there's so much room for adjustment, you may find yourself searching through pages of settings and preference in order to get the program working just the way you like.
In addition to the existing Coherence mode, which integrates discrete Windows programs within the usual Apple Mac OS X environment, a new Crystal mode hides the gubbins of a Microsoft OS even further. It hides the Parallels top menus and its Dock icon, putting a Start menu in the top toolbar, with installed Windows apps available from a folder shortcut in the righthand side of the Dock.
In either of these mix-up modes, Windows' windows lose their Aero translucency against the Mac desktop, although this can still be seen between overlapping Windows' windows. And like Fusion, there can be a loss of smooth fluidity when moving windows around.
Modality, meanwhile, puts a complete Windows desktop frame into a miniature and semi-transparent floating window, good for keeping an eye on several running VMs at the same time.
MacLook tries to further the Mac-Windows integration by giving Windows apps the appearance of Mac OS X, using Stardock MyColours to skin Windows. If you really can't stand to see Redmond's GUI elements, this is for you.
Parallels For Mac Reviews
Changing to Coherence or Crystal can take several seconds, leaving the Mac somewht unresponsive. Parallel software for mac. We found changing to MacLook even more enervating, with some messy looking interface elements from Windows apps that were open before the changeover. If you're going to use this interface, we'd suggest doing so before opening any Windows programs.
In general, these integration choices will suit anyone who has occasional Windows apps to run but don't need the full Windows operating system experience. But be aware that taking away the regular Windows desktop leaves those programs' windows without quite the same quality of on-screen rendering.
Another practical feature is full support of the Mac portable trackpad, and Apple mouse control. On a MacBook, for example, you can take advantage of the multi-touch pad for pinch-to-zoom and two- and three-finger scrolling and swiping. And if you have a new Magic Mouse, you'll find all its scrolling and swiping gestures supported too, ironically giving Parallels better control of a virtualised Window OS than you'll find on a physical Windows PC itself.
Of other numerous changes, the ability to lock down settings may be welcomed by IT managers looking to roll out the program in business or computer lab environments. An express Windows installation option uncovered a useful trick - choosing which version of Windows 7 to install from a single-version Ultimate disc. By ignoring the serial code screen while installing, you can choose which of several versions of Windows 7 to install, just as you could with Windows Vista before.
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A Virtual Machine List shows all available VMs, which can be individually coloured for ease of browsing. Unlike VMware Fusion, we couldn't find an easy way to call up this list through a keyboard shortcut, with Parallels Desktop for Mac 5.0 generally a little behind in its key shortcut options. Nor will the list show a thumbnail of a suspended VM.
Besides the revised graphics driver for Windows, now up to DirectX 9.0c with Shader Model 3, and the same as Fusion, Parallels Desktop for Mac 5.0 also offers OpenGL 2.1, enabling a much better interface for Linux OS guests - for example, allowing for startling Compiz eye candy effects. We found these interface effects worked even more liquid than on physical installations of Linux we've tried recently.
With a Windows XP Pro guest OS set to synchronise time to the Mac OS X host, we measured the performance of Parallels 5.0 using WorldBench 6. Hardware was an Apple MacBook Pro 2.4GHz (Early 2008), with 4GB physical RAM, and nVidia 8600M graphics and 256MB video RAM.
In the case of VMware Fusion, we had seen a small but measurable increase in speed when moving from v2 to v3 - from 71 to 73 points - and Parallels Desktop for Mac 5.0 showed a similar benefit. It was only a one point net increase, but this time Parallels 5 finished with a score of 75 points, highlighting it as the fastest virtualisation solution we've ever recorded.
Graphics tests were even more emphatic in showing increased performance. Playing FEAR at Maximum quality settings, 1024x768, the latest version of VMware Fusion reached 16 frames per second (fps), still four points behind the average framerate of the last version of Parallels 4. And with Parallels Desktop for Mac 5.0, we saw the results in this test hit a very impressive 31fps.
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