Thursday, March 1, 2007

Parallels Desktop for Mac

Parallels Desktop for Mac is the leading virtualization solution for the Mac, enabling Mac users to run Windows simultaneously with their Mac OS X on any Intel-powered iMac, Mac mini, MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Mac Pro Towers.

The latest release of Parallels delivers easy to use migration tools, USB 2.0 support, innovative Coherence technology, and much more. It’s never been easier to run Mac OS and Microsoft Windows side by side.

With Parallels Desktop for Mac, you can:
Run your favorite Mac and Windows applications at the same time without rebooting
Seamlessly connect to any network in both Mac OS and Windows using a shared network connection
Achieve a high level of performance for Windows on your Mac by leveraging Intel technology - an industry leading solution available on Parallels Software
Copy and paste items between your Mac desktop and your Windows desktop
Quickly create multiple virtual machines by using the new Parallels Installation Assistant
Create “Active” backups by using Parallels Desktop for Mac in conjunction with Parallels Compressor
Achieve optimal virtual machine performance and reduce disk space by 50% or more with the new Parallels Compressor

Innovative new features:
Parallels Installation Assistant making installing Parallels Desktop for Mac easier than before
Parallels Coherence providing seamless integration and allowing you to maintain a single, integrated environment for running all of your applications
Parallels Transporter allowing you to easily migrate your existing system to any Parallels enabled computer.
Full USB 2.0 support allowing you to connect all of your favorite devices to your operating system of choice
Full support for OS X and Windows Vista
Automatic network configuration seamlessly connecting your new virtual system to the Internet without any manual network reconfiguration

Parallels Coherence:
Run Windows applications like they were native Mac applications

A groundbreaking feature that lets users run Windows applications without seeing Windows. When a user switches to Coherence mode, their Windows desktop disappears, leaving their Windows applications running directly on their Mac desktop. This is the first opportunity ever for Mac users to run Windows applications in an effectively native environment!

How does it work?

Coherence is new, unique view mode that enables users to work with Windows applications on their Mac without seeing the Windows operating system. In Coherence mode, the entire Windows OS is running, just like it would in windowed or full-screen mode, but the user doesn’t see it, eliminating the confusing and sometimes jarring switch between the Windows and Mac desktop.

To enable easy access to Windows applications in Coherence mode, users can add any Windows shortcut icon to their Mac application dock, and load the program just by clicking the icon, like they would do with any normal Mac application. Users can also choose to show or hide the Windows task bar if they’d like. If the Windows taskbar is hidden, a user can access the Windows start menu by clicking the Parallels Desktop icon in the Mac application dock.

Why is it important?

The introduction of Coherence is a fundamental shift in the way computer users work with virtualization and multiple operating systems. It changes the question from “which operating system do I need to work in?” to “Which application is best for the task at hand?” By enabling Windows applications to run on a Mac desktop without any traces of the Windows operating system in view, users can get more done in less time, and truly experience the best of the Windows and Mac worlds.