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With Parallels Desktop, you can switch between Mac and Windows without ever needing to reboot your computer. If you have already installed Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, or Windows 7 on your Mac using Boot Camp, you can set Parallels Desktop to run Windows from the Boot Camp Partition or import Windows and your data from Boot Camp into. Parallels Desktop for Mac is the first solution that gives Apple users the ability to run Windows, Linux or any other operating system and their critical applications at the same time as Mac OS X on any Intel-powered iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook or MacBook Pro. Parallels is usually good for 2 years. I just wonder if there's a way to connect the bundled apps to my Apple ID since technically they are available on AppStore. Also, I never really planned on buying these apps in the first place, so I wonder if they are any good.

Stiff competition

Parallels
It was only a couple months ago that we reviewed Parallels Desktop's main competitor, VMware 2.0, and it's definitely no coincidence that a new version of Parallels Desktop has launched so closely on the heels of its Mac virtualization rival. Competition between VMware and Parallels is fierce, and each of the two programs is very visibly trying to catch up and surpass the other in features and performance. From early on, Parallels has been the leader in desktop integration, and Parallels' Coherence mode—which lets you use Windows applications seamlessly in the OS X interface—makes so much sense that you would have to copy it to compete at usability. So VMware 2.0 did copy coherence mode, and it also managed to open up a lead by adding multi-core CPU and 64-bit client OS support. The new Parallels Desktop 4.0 is clearly designed to close that gap by adding:
  • 64-bit guest OS support
  • Support for up to 8 GB of RAM for VM client OSes
  • Support for up to 8-way SMP for multicore CPUs
The most interesting thing about Parallels' multi-core implementation is that it correctly shows CPU cores as cores in the client OS, whereas VMware shows the cores as individual CPUs. This is significant because non-server distributions of Windows don't allow for more than two CPUs to be used. The result is that a VMware 2.0 virtual machine only accesses more than two CPUs under Windows if it's using an expensive server-grade version of Microsoft's OS. If you have a Mac Pro and you're looking for maximum performance out of your virtualized Windows install, this is an important distinction. But it's not all good news for Parallels users looking to make the jump to the next level.
Even after Parallels released a second build (3540) of Parallels Desktop 4.0 shortly after the launch, a release that was aimed at addressing a number of problems with the 4.0 gold version, the software still has many officially acknowledged issues that need addressing. Are these problems bad enough for you to steer clear of 4.0? Let's take a look.
Pricing
  • New: $79.99
  • Upgrade: $39.99
System Requirements
  • Processor: Intel-based Mac required
  • Memory: 1 GB of RAM (2GB recommended to run Windows Vista)
  • Storage: 450 MB of hard drive space for Parallels Desktop Installation, plus space to allocate to your virtual machine
  • Operating system: Mac OS X 10.411 or later (including Mac OS X Leopard)
Test hardware
  • Mobile:
    • MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz
    • 4 GB RAM
    • NVIDIA 8600M 256 MB
    • OS X 10.5.5
  • Desktop:
    • Mac Pro Xeon Core 2 Duo (4-core) 2.66 GHz
    • 7 GB RAM
    • NVIDIA 7300 GT
    • OS X 10.5.5
Test software
  • Parallels Desktop 4.0 build 3540
  • VMware Fusion 2.0.1
  • Windows XP Pro 32-bit SP3
  • Windows Vista 64-bit SP1
  • Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop 64-bit
  • Mac OS X Server 10.5.5

Getting Started

Parallels' New Virtual Machine Assistant hasn't changed much in version 4. It still does a great job of guessing what the operating system is by the installer disk, and it handles automated installs as well as it used to. However, it does need more options—there isn't an option to pick how many CPUs or how much RAM you want for the VM at install time. If you want to set those, you have to stop the install assistant after creating the VM file but before launching the OS installer, or you can do it after booting into the VM, which will force a restart. The latter is less convenient, but, given the problems that I saw with the Leopard Server installation, it's more stable than setting it afterward. Maybe that's why it was left out of the assistant.
Another slightly annoying thing about version 4.0 is that it boots into Coherence Mode with desktop mirroring on by default. While seasoned Parallels users will know what's going on when they see this, it will probably be very confusing for new users who may look for a Windows desktop but see only a taskbar at the bottom of their screen. Desktop mirroring causes problems with certain software, in my experience, so that's another good reason for it to be off by default.
VM Updates: cross your fingers, it could be a bumpy ride. If you're a Parallels Desktop 3 user, you have to upgrade your existing VM(s) before you can get up and running with version 4. You might want to create a backup copy of your VM files, since the upgrade process has been a bit of a mess for a lot of people (but less so with the newer build). Stories of unusable or disappearing VMs are not unheard of. Also, prepare yourself for a good wait as VM upgrades are slow; it took about an hour to upgrade my very basic XP VM, and reports of three-hour VM upgrades are common.
If you can, I would recommend just doing a fresh install, because new VMs are less prone to virtual barnacles from what I've seen; it makes the setup process faster, to boot (I apologize for that pun).

On the heels of Apple's launch of the Intel Mac, a company called Parallels captured the spotlight with an eponymous product that does for Mac OS X what VMware Workstation did for the Windows and Linux world -- full-blown hardware virtualization in a workstation package running natively on the Mac OS. Parallels allowed less-than-satisfied Windows users to jump to the Mac and to take their Windows applications with them. Windows-only applications and games were no longer a sticking point.

[ Video: Windows on Mac with Parallels 3.0 ]

The recent release of Parallels Desktop 3.0 for Mac brings OS X and Windows even closer together than before, and it adds several features that have become necessities in the virtualization world. The laundry list includes snapshots, hardware 3D graphics rendering on the guest OS, a security manager that acts as a firewall of sorts between the host and guest operating systems, a guest file system explorer, and support for Windows Vista partition booting, which lets users of Apple's Boot Camp dual-boot framework run their Windows partition within Parallels Desktop.

Snapshot support is almost a given in any virtualization platform now because the ability to freeze a virtual system at any given point in time and reset to that known-good point has become one of the major drivers of virtualization adoption. For instance, taking a snapshot right before installing a service pack or significant update permits nearly instant recovery when things go south. As a time-saving mechanism, this is nearly second to none.

The new Parallels Explorer in Parallels Desktop 3.0 is also handy. Rather than booting a guest OS to retrieve a few files stored on the virtual disk, this utility opens the virtual disk's file system and allows drag and drop copying from OS X to the guest file system and vice versa. The security manager is also a nice new feature, permitting more granular control over which devices are visible to the guest OS and what level of file sharing is permitted.

For many users, the best new feature in Parallels Desktop 3.0 will be the hardware-accelerated 3D graphics support. This is the Holy Grail for Mac-longing gaming users held hostage by Windows boxes because the focus of their gaming addiction runs only on Windows. Dual-booting with Boot Camp is an option, but it's far more convenient to run a virtual system. Prior to this release, direct access to the graphics card within the host Mac wasn't possible, so frame rates on games and other graphics-intensive applications suffered greatly. Parallels Desktop 3.0 provides direct access to the GPU, meaning that OpenGL and DirectX software not only runs in a Windows VM, they run fast.

VMsof no return

I installed Parallels Desktop 3.0 on my trusty 17-inch MacBook Pro with 2GB of RAM and the 5400 RPM 160GB disk. Because I had a previous version of Parallels installed, I was warned that updating would require updating my VMs too and that the VMs would no longer be compatible with older versions of Parallels Desktop. Otherwise, the installation was extremely fast.

Following the required reboot, I launched the new version and opened an existing Windows XP VM. The conversion process took only a few seconds, and then the VM booted. Immediately after logging in, the Parallels Tools installation wizard launched and installed all the necessary drivers in the VM. After that, the VM rebooted, and all was well. The new driver set is undoubtedly due to the new direct access graphics features of Parallels Desktop 3.0 as well as updates to the other drivers for the mouse, file sharing, and so on. From an end-user's standpoint, I noticed no difference in the way the Windows XP VM functioned, other than it seemed a bit speedier, and the boot time was reduced by roughly 20 percent. I do have to note that the simple drag-and-resize feature is extremely handy. Rather than mess around with screen resolution settings within the VM, simply dragging the edge of the VM window resizes the VM desktop on the fly -- very cool.

Snapshots are as simple as you would expect. Creating a snapshot of my 8GB Windows XP VM took 30 seconds, and the snapshot was immediately available. I took a few more snapshots and reverted to an older one. The process of reverting to a snapshot involves either opening the snapshot manager and selecting the snapshot, or simply clicking a button on the right-hand panel. Either way, reverting to a prior snapshot with minimal changes between snaps took only 25 seconds. The snapshot manager's layout is simple and shows images of the desktop appearance when the snapshot was taken to assist in snapshot identification. The whole process is simple and elegant.

Then I tackled a tougher challenge: Installation of Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate. I took the easy route and allowed Parallels to slipstream the installation. This involves entering the Vista product key into the Parallels VM installer window and selecting whether to prioritize performance for OS X or Vista (giving Vista priority is the recommended choice). I acquiesced, slipped in the Vista installation DVD, and waited while the Vista installer cranked and hammered.

I was interested to note that although Microsoft recommends 1GB RAM for Vista, the default in Parallels is 512MB. My MacBook Pro has 2GB of RAM, and I would think that allocating 1GB to the VM would be appropriate here, especially given Vista's penchant to consume all available system resources.

The installation of Vista Ultimate took around 40 minutes from inserting the DVD to logging into the new VM. Following the first boot, Parallels automatically installs all necessary drivers, although they are unsigned and require manual confirmation at each step -- a minor annoyance. During the whole install process, the load on the MacBook Pro hovered around 1.25, which is actually remarkably good.

After installation of Vista, I installed Office Ultimate 2007. In total, the Vista and Office installation required nearly 16GB of disk space -- and Parallels' default disk size for the Vista install was 30GB, which was also the total free space on the MacBook's hard drive.

Windows Vista inside

Although Parallel's Coherence mode isn't new in the new version, it's still notable due to the relatively seamless nature of application presentation. In Coherence mode, the VM desktop isn't trapped within the Parallels window; instead, applications running within the VM appear as unique windows on the OS X desktop, and application interaction is functionally identical to native OS X apps. For those wishing to run only one or two Windows applications on OS X, this is surely the ticket. I did experience some significant sluggishness at times when running the Vista VM, always tied to heavy disk I/O. With a faster system -- and especially a system with a faster disk I/O subsystem -- these problems will likely be reduced.

The Parallels Explorer lets you browse VM virtual disks without powering up the VM itself. It offers a rather rudimentary navigation interface that mimics the OS X finder, and allows drag-and-drop file access. I found it functional and surprisingly fast.

Parallels

One definite downside with Parallels Desktop 3.0 is that even with the new direct graphics controller access features, Vista's Aero effects aren't supported. The issue is that Parallels supports DirectX 8.1, but Aero requires DirectX 9.0. In fact, I've heard that the 3D acceleration is only functional under Windows XP for the moment, but I couldn't corroborate this statement before press time.

All in all, Parallels Desktop 3.0 is an amazing product for the $79.95 price. It integrates very well into OS X, looking and behaving like a native application while providing outstanding functionality. Make no mistake -- running two heavy operating systems on a single system will result in periodic slowness, especially during high disk I/O operations. But Parallels handles the task elegantly, and it certainly fits hand in glove with Mac OS X.

Mac

Parallel Program For Mac

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