I found that the new Parallels started and resumed Windows much faster than its predecessor.
With Boot Camp, if you want to switch between the Mac OS and Windows, you have to reboot the Mac. It doesn’t allow you to run both operating systems simultaneously, or copy and paste material between them.
Boot Camp, which also requires you to purchase and install Windows, has two big advantages over Parallels: It’s free, and it dedicates the Mac’s hardware solely to Windows, so it runs Windows programs even faster.īut it has a big disadvantage. This isn’t the same as another method for running Windows on a Mac, called Boot Camp-a built-in feature of the Mac designed by Apple. You can even open files from the Mac side of the machine in Windows programs, provided they are compatible. You can copy and paste material between Mac programs and Windows programs, and drag files between the two operating systems. Going Back and ForthĮither way, you can switch back and forth between this virtual Windows computer and your regular Mac environment. You can run Windows programs on your Mac either in one large window that displays the Windows desktop and taskbar, or in a mode that allows the Windows programs you run to simply appear on the Mac as if they were Mac programs, without the Windows desktop. Within this virtual machine, you can install a copy of Windows you’ve purchased and it will behave like a faux Windows computer, compatible with the same programs as a physical Windows PC. Parallels works by creating a so-called virtual machine inside your Mac. It did work, but like similar mobile programs for controlling PCs, I found it a bit awkward to use. I am less sanguine about this product, which also goes on sale Thursday, for an introductory price of $5 (the regular price is $20). I also tested a new companion Parallels Mobile iPad and iPhone app, which allows you to remotely control both your Mac and Windows running on your Mac.
What might entice you to upgrade to Version 7 is Parallels Desktop's new ability to create Mac OS X Lion VMs, with which you can run virtual Mac instances on your Mac, such as for beta testing or configuration testing.Parallels Desktop 7 lets Windows programs, like Excel on the left, appear on the Mac as if they were Mac programs, without the Windows desktop.
These Parallels Desktop 7 enhancements are welcome, but I'm not sure they're worth the cost of a $50 upgrade ($80 for the full version) to most users - especially just a year after Desktop 6 was released. Plus, the iOS app works with both Parallels Desktop 6 and 7, so you don't need an upgrade to Parallels Desktop 7 to take advantage of it. Of course, virtual desktop clients for running Mac OS X on iOS are easy to find, and there are good free ones, so the main value of Parallels' enhanced iOS app is the unified virtual desktop. The previous Parallels app for iOS did that just for Windows VMs. The $20 Parallels iOS app from the Apple App Store lets you access both Mac OS X and Windows VMs, as well as the underlying Mac OS X, from an iPad or iPhone. Version 6 can run on Lion as well, but it does not support Lion's new gestures or Mission Control.
Parallels 6 Parallels Desktop 7's other enhancements include support for Mac OS X Lion's full-screen mode and Mission Control interface, support for the AES-NI encryption standard for Windows VMs, and easier sharing of printers and the Mac's built-in camera. For most users, I don't think it justifies an upgrade.
That's not bad, but keep in mind such synthetic benchmarks tend to overstate what you'd get in real-world performance. Overall, PassMark showed Windows 7 running 9 percent faster in Parallels 7 versus Parallels 6. But note that Parallels Desktop does not support DirectX 10, so some video-oriented games and applications won't run. I did get a 44 percent boost for 3D graphics, so gamers and simulators should see a notable improvement. Although Parallels Desktop 7 promises to run graphics 45 percent faster than Version 6, I saw a mere 8 percent improvement in 2D rendering, based on the PassMark benchmarks. If Mac-on-Mac virtualization - the big new capability in Desktop 7 - is the most important next step, then Parallels should have taken a little more time to make it easier, especially for developers and IT users. And the new Parallels Desktop 7 shows just how hard that question is to answer. It's hard to imagine what more a Windows-on-Mac virtualization application might do given the software's undeniable maturity.