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- Parallels Desktop For Mac Review
When I last reviewed virtualization software in 2008, I found Parallels Desktop 4 for Mac effective, but saddled with a bit of bugginess and lacking some DirectX support. Parallels 5 Desktop for.
I am writing this review and rating it only 3 stars, but I continue to love Parallels. I actually hope that others will buy Parallels 9 and then call, write, and chat with the support team to complain about the loss of Parallels Mobile and its replacement with a more expensive, but more functional version called Parallels Access. Hopefully, people reaching out and complaining will push them to re-visit their idea.
So, here's my review of the actual software.
Parallels makes upgrading easy. I just popped in the Desktop 9 CD, then realized that they will let me download it. I prefer to download as the CD will never survive in my house. If I ever needed to re-install, then I will have to have it. So, I downloaded the software and hit install. It found my Parallels 8 and replaced it. All of my OS's are still there.
Now my Dropbox and Google drive docs are available on the Windows machine. This may seem like nothing, but I can access my Photo Stream, my iCloud Docs (which I don't use), and my Google Drive docs straight from my Windows machine without having to create shares and links or by installing and mirroring the same data on the Windows machine. This is very nice and makes it much easier for me to update a file and know it will be pushed to Google Drive or Dropbox.
The last time I upgraded my Mac, I had an issue because Parallels stopped working. Apparently, Parallels Desktop 7 worked for Lion (10.7), but not Mountain Lion (10.8). That was a frustration that I wanted to avoid. When Mavericks (10.9) comes out, I can upgrade my laptop without worrying that all of my Parallels Operating Systems will shut down. I use the windows side for some of the work that I do and that was frustrating to realize that I couldn't access Windows until I upgraded Parallels. In their defense, they notated this on their website and had sent emails that I must have missed. I was pleased that the issue was documented and easy to see if I searched.
Parallels has replaced Parallels Mobile with Parallels Access as of this version. First off, what are these things, you might ask. These are Apps that you run on your iPhone/iPad which allows you to takeover your remote machine. I can sit at the coffee shop and remember I needed to hit send on an email. I grab my phone, open the Parallels Mobile app, and it connects to my laptop at home, shows me the desktop, and lets me do what I need to do. You don't have to setup your router or anything. Just have Parallels running and you're good to go. * The downside, Parallels Mobile worked for iPhone and iPad. This meant that if I just had my phone, I was still good. Parallels Mobile was introduced around version 7 and now it's being phased out. It's being phased out in favor of Parallels Access, which does the same thing, but costs $79.99/yr and doesn't currently work on the iPhone. When you connect with Parallels Access, the computer you takeover gets all funky as Parallels us tweaking the desktop resolution so that it can show you one Mac/Windows application at a time. * The upside, Parallels Access is pretty sweet. You can takeover just one Mac/Windows Application at a time. You don't have to re-size the application to perfectly fit in the screen. They have taken the iPad finger strokes and made them work when you are taking over a remote computer. It's pretty amazing and has allowed me to get more done faster.
Parallels Access might be worth $20/yr to me, but not $79.99. It's worth even less to me because I don't have a choice. Parallels Mobile is End of Purchase. http://www.parallels.com/support/desktop-virtualization/mobile/ This means that you can't get it anymore and those of us that have been with them for years can't use it if we want to upgrade. If the next Mac upgrade to Mavericks works the same, then once I upgrade my Mac, I will have to upgrade Parallels and lose access to Parallels Mobile. (This is what I was talking about on the first paragraph. Please phone, chat, Skype, and email support. Please push for Parallels Mobile to come back or Parallels Access to be reasonably priced.)
I love Parallels and they have always come out with something new and some reason that it's worth it to me to upgrade. This is the first time I wouldn't want to give 5 stars. I still love them and want to stick with them. If you are choosing between Parallels and Fusion, I'd still say to go with Parallels. We just need them to get a little less cocky and be more open with us the consumers.
I would recommend this item to a friend!This review is from Parallels Desktop for Mac - Use Windows Applications alongside your Mac Apps!.
Parallels Desktop for Mac is the best tool on the market for running Windows on any Intel-based Macintosh. Windows users are not going to believe me, but it's true. Parallels runs Windows even faster on Intel MacBook Pros than it does on comparable PC hardware. My two Windows XP Pro on Macintosh installations run great. One is a year old, which is about how long Parallels has been available either in beta or release form -- and both have lots of software installed on them.
The single best feature in Parallels 2.5 (Build 3188), which sells for $79.99 and was released Feb. 27, is something the company calls Coherence. I'm not sure I like the name, but I love what it does. Coherence makes Windows apps look for all the world like they're running on your Mac. They're not, of course; they're running on your Parallels virtualized Windows installation.
Now I know some people reading this are already skeptical. But let me tell you, the Parallels folks delivered on this one. You can switch into Coherence mode whenever you want. I have it set up to do this when I press Ctrl-Spacebar. Once in Coherence, the Windows desktop disappears entirely. Your Windows apps have program stubs in the Dock whenever they're running. By default, the Windows taskbar and Start button appear along the bottom of your Mac desktop, which lets you launch other Windows programs and switch among running apps. Your Mac programs resize their windows automatically to accommodate the taskbar. (Or you can use Windows' settings to make the taskbar disappear unless you point at it, whereupon it rolls over your existing app windows.)
I frequently have Internet Explorer 6, for example, running on Windows XP in Coherence mode when I'm working on my Mac. Windows apps running in this way look and act much like any of your Mac program windows. You stop even thinking of them so much as Windows apps or Mac apps. They're just your apps.
Parallels has thought of all the little things. If you're an Expose fan, for example (as I am), you'll find that your Windows apps running in Coherence mode act exactly as your Mac apps when you press F11 or trigger Expose in your preferred way.
Someday I hope the Mac will be able to accept Windows app installations and run them on its own. Until then, Coherence is as close as it gets, and that's OK because the user experience is excellent.
For those of you who just want to work in Windows, Parallels does that well, too. By pressing a key combination (I use Command-Spacebar), you can toggle back and forth between your Mac desktop and your Windows desktop. Parallels offers a rotating 3-D cube effect -- and other transition effects -- to animate the change between desktops. It's quite easy to work in both desktops at once, moving back and forth. You can also minimize the Windows desktop to the Dock if you prefer.
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Hardware support is excellent in Parallels. Like most virtualization utilities, you install a tools pack, which is largely a driver set that allows your guest operating system to make use of your host operating system's access to the hardware. Wireless networking, Ethernet connections, USB 2.0, audio and video are all extremely well supported by the Parallels Tools, requiring no configuration on your part.
Parallels also supports Vista. It's not able to display the full Aero interface, but it does support 3-D video, and it runs Vista well in other regards. As a working Windows installation right now, my interest is in XP, though. It has fewer software compatibility issues.
Another cool new feature recently added by Parallels is the ability to run Apple Boot Camp-supported Windows installations in a Parallels virtual machine. In other words, it lets you access your Boot Camp Windows installation without having to restart your Mac.
Like any piece of software, Parallels Desktop for Mac has a couple of shortcomings. I find that I'm unable to use keyboard commands to copy and paste strings of text from a Mac program window to a Windows program window or vice versa. So, Command-C to copy text from a Mac browser and then Ctrl-V to paste the text into a Windows text editor doesn't work. I have to go the context menu route and choose Cut on one end and Paste on the other.
Parallels Desktop For Mac Student Edition
A slightly more frustrating problem is that Parallels, like many virtualization programs, uses a shared-folder approach to allow folder-based navigation to files and folders from either side. Parallels' system doesn't really allow you access to Windows; the special folder access appears only on the Windows side. More important, though, Windows applications don't all support this folder access fully. If you have a program that sets a default start folder, and you want that folder to be on the Mac, you may find that it won't work properly.
But that's the whole of my criticism about Parallels. This product is absolutely an essential tool for Mac users who have the need to access Windows applications. It provides several ways to do that, and it works exceedingly well. Parallels for Desktop 2.5 is one of my picks for a Top Product and it's on my A-List of Mac Apps. If you're running an Intel Mac, you have to grab Parallels. Without it, you're just not getting the most mileage out of your Mac. This is a must-have product.
Learn more: Parallels has an FAQ that offers more information.
Parallels Desktop For Mac 14 Keygen
Scot Finnie is online editorial director of Computerworld and runs Scot's Newsletter. This review also appeared in the latest edition of his newsletter.
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