Parallels Desktop for Mac (Intel Mac)

Average customer rating: 4.0

WARNING: Terrible customer support
Worth It
Love It!
Version 3.0 to be released soon
Great bridging software

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Parallels Desktop for Mac (Intel Mac)

Manufacturer: Nova Development
Product Group: Software
Binding: CD-ROM
ASIN: B000GHIV2Q
2006-07-17

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Product Description

With Parallels Desktop for Mac, you can run Windows on an Intel Mac machine - right alongside Mac OS X! Switch between Mac OS X and Windows XP with just a keystroke. Use your Mac to run important applications that were only available in Windows before: Microsoft Project, Access, Money ACT! and more are now at your fingertips. Unlike working with Boot Camp, you don't have to restart your Mac. It's the solution for users who work with multiple systems. Unlike dual-boot solutions, in which users must completely shut down OS X and endure a full OS start-up cycle to access a important application, Parallels Desktop for Mac empowers users with the ability to run Windows, Linux or any other operating system and Mac OS X at the same time. No hard drive partitioning required Parallels Desktop for Mac virtualizes a full set of the standard PC hardware, including - Virtualized processor of the host computer; Generic motherboard compatible with Intel i815 chipset; Up to 1500 MB of RAM; VGA and SVGA with VESA 3.0 support; Up to four IDE devices, that may be either virtual hard drives (from 20 MB up to 128 GB each, mapped to image file), CD/DVD-ROM drives (mapped to physical drive or to image file), or any combination of the two; Ethernet virtual network card compatible with RTL8029 (bridged to Apple Ethernet or Apple Airport adapter), host-only networking or Mac internet sharing; Up to four serial (COM) ports (mapped to pipe or to output file); Up to three bi-directional parallel (LPT) ports(mapped to output file); Shared folders that enable file and folder transfer between OS X and Windows; 2-port USB controller 1.1 (USB 2.0 devices supported)at speed close to native);

Amazon.com

When Apple introduced its first generation of Intel-powered Macs, the "Are you a Mac or a PC person" question suddenly became moot. With the new Intel Mac machines, you can have the best of both Macintosh and PC worlds. Unfortunately, switching between operating systems on the new Intel Macs can be a time-consuming process. You must completely shut down OS X and endure a full start-up cycle in order to run Windows. That's where Parallels Desktop for Mac comes in. With Parallels Desktop, you can run Windows applications along with your Macintosh programs -- right on your Mac, side-by-side -- so you never have to suffer through frustrating shut-downs and re-boots just to run a program you want. <table align=left width=150 cellpadding=8> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/software-detail/parallels-1.jpg" border=1 align=top>

Windows XP Professional guest virtual machine running alongside a Mac OS X primary OS. </td></tr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/software-detail/parallels-screenshot.small.jpg" border=1 align=top>

The Parallels desktop. View larger.</td></tr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/software-detail/user-interface-shot.small.jpg" border=1 align=top>

Another view of the Parallels desktop. View larger.</td></tr> </table> <table align=right width=150 cellpadding=8> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/software/detail-page/parallels-2-sm.jpg" border=1 align=top>

SUSE Linux 10.0 guest virtual machine running alongside a Mac OS X primary OS. View larger.</td></tr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/software/detail-page/parallels-3-sm.jpg" border=1 align=top>

The main page shows preferences and virtual hardware configs for a virtual PC. View larger.</td></tr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/software/detail-page/parallels-5-sm.jpg" border=1 align=top>

The Config Editor is used to access and change all the parameters of a virtual machine. View larger.</td></tr> </table> A Single-Keystroke Solution
Parallels Desktop offers the unparalleled option of letting you switch between Mac OS X and Windows XP with a single keystroke. So while you're running a graphics program that only OS X can run, and you need to use an important application that is only available in Windows, you simply hit a keystroke, and Windows (or OS X) is literally at your fingertips. The same holds true for Linux or any other operating system; with Parallels Desktop, you're always a single keystroke away from switching out of OS X into the operating system of your choice, and back into it again. Creating a Virtual PC
With Parallels Desktop, you can run any version of Windows (3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, Me, 2000, NT, XP, 2003), any Linux distribution, FreeBSD, Solaris, OS/2, eComStation, or MS-DOS alongside Mac OSX. The program installs with just a few clicks and steps through a simple interface. You don't have to be a software engineer to install Parallels Desktop; there's no need to partition your drive, and no networking or complicated set-up required. It's really that simple. Once you're up and running, Parallels Desktop virtualizes a full set of all the standard PC hardware, including virtualized processor of the host computer, a generic motherboard compatible with Intel i815 chipset; up to 1500 MB of RAM; VGA and SVGA with VESA 3.0 support; up to four IDE devices that may be either virtual hard drives (from 20 MB up to 128 GB each, mapped to image file), CD/DVD-ROM drives (mapped to physical drive or to image file), or any combination of the two; Ethernet virtual Network card compatible with RTL8029 (bridged to Apple Ethernet or Apple Airport adapter), host-only Networking or Mac Internet sharing; up to four serial (COM) ports (mapped to pipe or to Output file); up to three bi-directional parallel (LPT) ports (mapped to output file); and 2-port USB controller 1.1 (USB 2.0 devices supported) at speed close to native. In other words, you can operate as if you were actually on a fully-loaded PC. You also have the ability to transfer files and folders between OS X and Windows. This means that you can safely and securely "copy and paste" data between Windows XP and Mac OS X programs without a glitch. And if you think that this will add a huge drain on your computing resources, think again! Included free with Parallels Desktop is Parallels Compressor technology, a $179 tool that reduces Windows 2000, 2003 and XP virtual machine hard drive size by 50 percent or more. This easy-to-use disk management tool helps save storage costs, maximizes hard disk resources and improves the performance of any Windows-powered virtual machines.

Customer Reviews:

WARNING: Terrible customer support.......2007-06-10

First, this is a decent product - but there really isn't anything to directly compare it to - VMWare is still in Beta for the Mac version.

But be WARNED! Parallel's customer support is simply the worst! And do NOT buy a retail version unless you are certain it is Version 3. I know the Amazon tag says latest version, but it doesn't say Version 3. If you buy and get version 2, you will get a free upgrade from Parallels, BUT IN EIGHT TO TEN WEEKS! And you have to dig around their web site to find the right link to get the upgrade info. I find this inexcusable.

This is totally shabby treatment of customers who buy retail, like from Amazon. You end up with the old product, and no way to get your free upgrade in a timely fashion.

So, if you really need this product (and I did), don't buy from a retail outlet unless you are positive you will be getting Version 3. And then don't be surprised with totally crappy support. The ONLY way to get any support is to read their forums ([...]), which they don't really tell you about in any easy to find place, and which have lots of information, but are difficult to sort through.

Worth It.......2007-06-08

I am a new owner of a Mac but was still unsure about stepping away from the PC. The Parallels program eased that transition. Now I have the best of both worlds. I have Windows for all my work applications and the Mac for my movie and photo editing programs. If you are like me, and afraid of taking the leap into the Apple world then Parallels will help with your PC fix.

Love It!.......2007-06-03

Ordered Parallels with Windows XP package from Amazon. I've only had it
running for two days, but so far I LOVE it. It was a breeze to install
on my iMac, with 1 GB memory. I had Windows XP up and running in about 45 minutes. I was concerned that it might be difficult to install because I know nothing about computers and even considered hiring someone to help me,
but it was as easy to load as any software.
I had a little difficulty getting the printer recognized, but I figured that one out and so far it's all working like a charm. I needed a new computer last November and decided to try a mac because most of my friends swear by them. After using it for six months, I have mixed feelings about it, especially since it couldn't run my favorite graphics program, PSP8.
I've tried Photoshop CS1 and don't need all of what it offers and wanted a couple of things it doesn't seem to have. Also I prefer Windows management
of image files. Rather than get a new computer, which I can't afford right now, it was a lot cheaper to buy Parallels, even with the cost of Windows XP.
I was also concerned that I might have to get more memory, but so far this doesn't seem to be necessary. So, yeah, I've got the best of both worlds
and it's pretty cool.

Version 3.0 to be released soon.......2007-06-03

Bought my copy of Parallels Desktop for Mac 13 days before the May 1 deadline. No free upgrade for me (to version 3 -- coming June 2007). Version 3 has lots of great new features. 3D Graphics. and Coherence being real improvements. Wait. It's a hassle to install it.. wait for the new one

Great bridging software.......2007-06-01

I only use the bridging feature of this software which works very fast on the imac, the only drawback was the key code they should not use the number "1" the capital "i" or lower case "L" in any key, that waisted a lot of my time figureing out the combination of which I gave up and called them, it took some digging on their web site to find the right contact phone number but when I finally found it and got through, they were very helpful and in about 10min. had it all set up.

Getting past all that, the 5 stars is for the ease of switching platforms, which is great and a fun effect, but again the bridging is all I use it for in a business environment.

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