Parallels Desktop 10 for Mac launches with OS X 10.10 Yosemite support, speed boosts, more
Parallels on Wednesday announced the release of Parallels Desktop 10 for Mac with built-in support for Apple's upcoming OS X 10.10 Yosemite, faster Windows app performance, better battery life and immediate availability for existing users.
The new Parallels Desktop 10 and Parallels Desktop 10 for Mac Enterprise Edition focuses on building out seamless integration with the latest Windows operating systems, including Windows 8.1, while adding performance buffs, developer and IT features and support for Apple's next-gen OS X Yosemite.
According to Parallels, snapshots are up to 60 percent faster, opening Windows documents on Mac is 48 percent faster and battery life has been extended by up to 30 percent from last year's Desktop 9 release. In addition, new virtualization technology grants users working with Office 2013 files a 50 percent speed boost.
As for installation of virtual machines, Parallels Desktop 10 offers more flexibility than before, including drag-and-drop functionality and direct .ISO file targeting. The drag-and-drop method extends to file handling within the Parallels environment, with users able to open Windows files by dragging-and-dropping them onto a VM icon.
Further, VMs are automatically optimized for the best performance by default and regional settings are passed on to Windows when using Express installation. Also, when a new Windows app is added, it automatically shows up in Launchpad.
Sharing has also been enhanced and now incorporates distribution of any file or page in Explorer and Internet Explorer through accounts configured in OS X. Finally, new "Save as" options for Office connect with Dropbox, iCloud Drive and Google Drive.
Performance and optimization:
For developers and IT professionals, Parallels Desktop 10 for Mac Enterprise Edition brings a number of useful tools including support for 16 virtual CPUs and 64GB of RAM per virtual machine, nested virtualization for Linux guests and drag-and-drop in OS X guests.
Great for development, design, and IT pros:
All customers receive a free three-month subscription to the Parallels Access iOS app for up to five Macs and PCs and an unlimited number of iOS and Android devices.
The new Parallels Desktop 10 and Parallels Desktop 10 for Mac Enterprise Edition focuses on building out seamless integration with the latest Windows operating systems, including Windows 8.1, while adding performance buffs, developer and IT features and support for Apple's next-gen OS X Yosemite.
According to Parallels, snapshots are up to 60 percent faster, opening Windows documents on Mac is 48 percent faster and battery life has been extended by up to 30 percent from last year's Desktop 9 release. In addition, new virtualization technology grants users working with Office 2013 files a 50 percent speed boost.
As for installation of virtual machines, Parallels Desktop 10 offers more flexibility than before, including drag-and-drop functionality and direct .ISO file targeting. The drag-and-drop method extends to file handling within the Parallels environment, with users able to open Windows files by dragging-and-dropping them onto a VM icon.
Further, VMs are automatically optimized for the best performance by default and regional settings are passed on to Windows when using Express installation. Also, when a new Windows app is added, it automatically shows up in Launchpad.
Sharing has also been enhanced and now incorporates distribution of any file or page in Explorer and Internet Explorer through accounts configured in OS X. Finally, new "Save as" options for Office connect with Dropbox, iCloud Drive and Google Drive.
Performance and optimization:
- Users can now open Windows documents up to 48 percent faster
- Battery life is extended by up to 30 percent giving people additional work time when they need it most
- Virtual machines use up-to 10 percent less Mac memory
- New virtual machines with default settings launch Office 2013 applications up to 50 percent faster
- Virtual machine only takes as much disk space on the Mac hard drive as it needs. Real-time optimization automatically compacts virtual disk eliminating the need for periodic manual compacts.
- Free Disk Space Wizard allows to review and clean up space used by Parallels Desktop and Virtual Machines
For developers and IT professionals, Parallels Desktop 10 for Mac Enterprise Edition brings a number of useful tools including support for 16 virtual CPUs and 64GB of RAM per virtual machine, nested virtualization for Linux guests and drag-and-drop in OS X guests.
Great for development, design, and IT pros:
- Create linked clones of your virtual machine
- Support for Vagrant Provider
- Support for 16 virtual CPU and 64 GB RAM per virtual machine
- Nested virtualization for Linux guests
- Create a virtual machine from VHD and VMDK disks
- Drag and drop in OS X guests
- Download 90-day trials Internet Explorer virtual machines for testing
All customers receive a free three-month subscription to the Parallels Access iOS app for up to five Macs and PCs and an unlimited number of iOS and Android devices.
Comments
Okay then. I've been using Parallels since v3 and have paid for every upgrade since. I have three Macs and have paid $150 roughly every year. My Parallels 9 licenses were purchased four months ago. The thought of shelling out another $100-150 (honestly I don't need it anymore on that third Mac) four months after having just done so does not sit well with me. I use Parallels Access too which is yet more money I'd have to shell out, but I would be perfectly happy with the VNC access provided for free by VMWare.
Honestly, I think I'm going to consider switching this time. I'm sorry Parallels - I love you, and I like supporting local businesses, but your pricing model is completely out-of-control.
I seriously hope this isn't your solution to the latest DP6 issue too!
Hmm, also their website is still showing Parallels 9 as the latest...
Parallels is the biggest RIP off. Every Year when Apple brings out a free OS upgrade, parallels stops working and suggests buying the latest version for $50. Would be nice if one could keep using a piece of software for more than a year.
To be fair, they usually do provide a final release that allows compatibility, but you're right, a new major release is required to take advantage of new host OS features. Earlier this year I felt compelled to upgrade from 8 to 9 because full-screen support in v8 was terrible. So yes, I paid $50 per Mac so I could take advantage of full-screen mode with multiple displays. Better battery life and quicker snapshot creation would be great, but I doubt the real-world benefits would be close to the (up to) 30% better battery and (up to) 60% faster snapshot creation they claim. Shame, because my battery life drops to about 40% of what I normally get when I have a VM running (which is most of the time). Instead of 6 hours, I average 2-3 hours.
Okay then. I've been using Parallels since v3 and have paid for every upgrade since. I have three Macs and have paid $150 roughly every year. My Parallels 9 licenses were purchased four months ago. The thought of shelling out another $100-150 (honestly I don't need it anymore on that third Mac) four months after having just done so does not sit well with me. I use Parallels Access too which is yet more money I'd have to shell out, but I would be perfectly happy with the VNC access provided for free by VMWare.
Honestly, I think I'm going to consider switching this time. I'm sorry Parallels - I love you, and I like supporting local businesses, but your pricing model is completely out-of-control.
I seriously hope this isn't your solution to the latest DP6 issue too!
These upgrades are essentially massive new releases and are generally worth the money you pay for. Oh and good luck with VMWare which hasn't been updated for a very long time.
Parallels is the biggest RIP off. Every Year when Apple brings out a free OS upgrade, parallels stops working and suggests buying the latest version for $50. Would be nice if one could keep using a piece of software for more than a year.
BULLCRAP.
Mavericks ended support for version 7 but 8 still worked. Yosemite ends support for 8 but 9 still works. Old versions are exactly that OLD. Man I wish people who rely on these tools weren't such penny pinchers. I mean is $50 a year really such a budget blowout?
BULLCRAP.
Mavericks ended support for version 7 but 8 still worked. Yosemite ends support for 8 but 9 still works. Old versions are exactly that OLD. Man I wish people who rely on these tools weren't such penny pinchers. I mean is $50 a year really such a budget blowout?
If it were for one machine, I would agree. It also feels like these are fairly incremental upgrades which cost $50 each. I was upgrading three machines. Starting with v9 I'm only doing two, but that's still $100/year (or in this case, $100 twice in a year) to gain a couple of minor features, mostly fixes for problems (like v8's mediocre support for multi-screen setups) that really should be provided free.
Again, if their licensing was on-par with VMWare's (which provides up to three machines on a license), I wouldn't mind paying. Also, Parallels used to provide free remote access with their mobile app. Then they started charging a one-time fee for the app. It wasn't bad, it was only $10. But then they moved that to a subscription service (VMWare provides a VNC server built-in which allows free remote access - it's not really much different than what is built-in to OS X, but it's still free while Parallels charges an annual subscription fee for their Parallels Access service which looks great in their demos, but really doesn't provide much functionality - running Outlook in full screen with limited touch support really isn't all that).
After seven license purchases on multiple machines and subscription fees for remote access, I'm starting to feel a bit ripped off.
$50 is not A blowout if you use it often. But if like me you need it just for one windows app I think it is. And also it's not the money it's the time it takes me to find out that I need the next version, order it, download it, install it and might have to configure something. I expect all my apps to continue working when I upgrade the OS. It's called backwards compatibility. And in this case apple does everything to make the OS backwards compatible while parallels uses this opportunity to rip of customers for features they don't need.
So a free product is also available via www.virtualbox.org which you can run on as many machines as you like.
It runs atop windows / mac / linux which gives greater flexibility than Parallels
I have it running windows / linux etc just as I do Parallels
The two don't run simultaneously though.
Why not try it out if you find the regular fee to keep running is not to your liking.
Local Businesses? Parallels is a Russian company:
http://www.software-russia.com/in_focus/media/how-parallels-beat-apple-and-vmware
"In 2008, the co-owners of the little-known Russian IT company Parallels, Nicholas Dobrovolsky and Sergey Beloussov, took part in a meeting at the offices of Apple in Cupertino, California. The negotiations had already been going on for half an hour when it became clear to the Russian entrepreneurs that they had reached an impasse. They had visited the United States to introduce Dobrovolsky’s Parallels Desktop system, which allows Mac users to run programs written for Windows. “We were trying to get into the Apple sales channel,” said Dobrovolsky about the events that took place six years ago. The main developer of Mac OS, Bertrand Serlet, and the head of marketing for Apple, Phil Schiller, listened but declined to discuss practical steps forward. Suddenly, Apple founder Steve Jobs looked into the room. He asked who the two visitors were and began pelting them with questions. After a moment’s reflection, he said, “I think it makes sense!” Dobrovolsky remembers this as being a crucial day, after which Apple began offering the Parallels program worldwide."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VMware
"VMware, Inc. is a U.S. software company that provides cloud and virtualization software and services, and was the first to successfully virtualize the x86 architecture. Founded in 1998, VMware is based in Palo Alto, California. In 2004 it was acquired by and became a subsidiary of EMC Corporation"
VMWare even lists it as a selling point:
http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/compare#table3
"Engineered in the USA"
It means paying for an upgrade every two years and ensures that I have current OS support. I can live with that.
I've bought my latest upgrade to Version 9 FOUR months ago and now I need to upgrade AGAIN to Version 10 next month when OSX Yosemite is released to get full functionality!
I really feel ripped off!
I hope Parallels will change it's policy! E.G. one upgrade for free and only 50 Euro's if upgrading from the previous version (e.g. 7 to 9 or 8 to 10) would be a much more reasonable policy!
I have to agree. $50 is a bit much for a upgrade these days. Its not like this Adobe or some such.
'Good luck'? Why the disparaging remark? VMWare has been updated many times and not that long ago. It works flawlessly. You have to realize just how large the company is and how many products they make compared to Parallels. I spoke with them about a Yosemite version recently and they said they are waiting for the GM versions. This only makes sense.
That's not to say Parallels isn't a fine product also. I have used both since their inception.
It's funny -- the existence of things like Parallels, VMware, and Bootcamp gave me the safety net I needed to move (back) to the Mac in 2006. For a while I used Bootcamp to play some PC games I liked, but over time I stopped using it, and now I have no need for it at all.
I wonder how many other people are in my camp -- that is, Windows compatibility provided a safety net to move to the Mac, but that safety net is no longer needed. The answer to that question might also be the answer to the question of whether Apple could ever really switch to ARM for Macs.
Local Businesses? Parallels is a Russian company:
http://www.software-russia.com/in_focus/media/how-parallels-beat-apple-and-vmware
"In 2008, the co-owners of the little-known Russian IT company Parallels, Nicholas Dobrovolsky and Sergey Beloussov, took part in a meeting at the offices of Apple in Cupertino, California. The negotiations had already been going on for half an hour when it became clear to the Russian entrepreneurs that they had reached an impasse. They had visited the United States to introduce Dobrovolsky’s Parallels Desktop system, which allows Mac users to run programs written for Windows. “We were trying to get into the Apple sales channel,” said Dobrovolsky about the events that took place six years ago. The main developer of Mac OS, Bertrand Serlet, and the head of marketing for Apple, Phil Schiller, listened but declined to discuss practical steps forward. Suddenly, Apple founder Steve Jobs looked into the room. He asked who the two visitors were and began pelting them with questions. After a moment’s reflection, he said, “I think it makes sense!” Dobrovolsky remembers this as being a crucial day, after which Apple began offering the Parallels program worldwide."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VMware
"VMware, Inc. is a U.S. software company that provides cloud and virtualization software and services, and was the first to successfully virtualize the x86 architecture. Founded in 1998, VMware is based in Palo Alto, California. In 2004 it was acquired by and became a subsidiary of EMC Corporation"
VMWare even lists it as a selling point:
http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/compare#table3
"Engineered in the USA"
I took his comment to mean a mac-first business
I took his comment to mean a mac-first business
I took his comment to refer to the fact that Parallels global headquarters is in Seattle. Looking at his profile, he is also in Seattle.
Local Businesses? Parallels is a Russian company:
@Marvin wow - I didn't know this. I guess I need to start looking more closely who owns the software I use. Even though technically they are an American company... having the code created in Russia does not sit well with me.... I for one will reconsider my purchase and/or use of Parallels.
And for those who might balk at my comment.. I lived in Russia for 8 years of my life... I will never forget the treatment I received as the hatred for Americans grew. I will never forget!