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DESCRIPTION
Parallels Desktop gives Mac users the ability to run Windows, Linux or any other operating system and their critical applications at the same time as Mac OS X on any Intel-powered iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook or MacBook Pro.
According to performance research conducted by Crimson Consulting Group, Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac performs 22% faster than the nearest Windows-on-Mac competitor in standard productivity testing of Windows 7 64-bit on a MacBook Pro. In addition, version 5 is up to 300% faster for virtual machine operations than the previous version. For 3D and graphics performance, tested under the industry standard 3Dmark 2006 Professional test suite the new version performs up to 7 times better.
WHAT'S NEW
Version 5.0 introduces more than 70 new features and enhancements, offering a computing experience that is: Faster... - Full support for Aero in Windows Vista and 7 through Windows WDDM driver, including Aero Flip 3D
- Virtual machine size automatically optimized for best performance with Parallels Compressor
- Improved performance for Linux guest OS from KVM paravirtualization
"The excellent 3D graphics performance of Parallels Desktop for Mac makes it Autodesk's preferred Mac virtualization software for customers who choose to run AutoCAD or our other design and engineering software on the Mac," said Andrew Mackles, Director of AutoCAD Product Management at Autodesk. "We are excited about the further graphics enhancements in Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac and the potential to improve the customer experiences." Smarter... - A more Mac-like experience in their Windows applications through Apple Trackpad Gestures technology (pinch, swipe, rotate and more), horizontal scrolling and the application of Full Screen active corners and curl page effect
- Copy & Paste fidelity for formatted text and complete layouts including images, even between Windows and Linux guest OSs
- Freedom and flexibility to run Windows and Mac applications across multiple monitors
More Powerful... - 7 times better graphic performance for games and 3D applications than the previous version with Direct X 9Ex with Shader Model 3 and OpenGL 2.1 support
- Superior graphics performance for Linux guests through OpenGL 2.1 support
- Full hardware resources can be utilized with support for 8 virtual CPUs, 64 bit Windows and Snow Leopard Server 64 bit
- Easily move PCs (including Windows 7) and 3rd party virtual machines to the Mac with the enhanced Parallels Transporter
REQUIREMENTS
Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later.
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| Parallels Desktop User Reviews (363 posts) | Write A Review |
 | Nov 24 2009 |
DLGOETZ Love V4.0 have two licenses. Would like to upgrade to to V5.0 but upgrade price is too steep. Please reduce the upgrade price. As a previous comment stated, $29 is more like it. Anything over that is just not worth it for software that is already doing the job well.
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| Nov 24 2009 |
CELLPLUS I failed again in installing. I eventually move to Bootcamp and Parallels 4.0.
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 | Nov 23 2009 |
AWADO I quit using Parallels Desktop 4 and won't upgrade to 5. A company as bis as Parallels should offer customer service that can give solutions within a few clicks. I do NOT like to deep search any forums or google around for hours when I paid for that. VirtualBox is free and good enough for me. Downloading their updates does not require any login.
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 | Nov 24 2009 |
MISHA As has been mentioned here before, if you want to easily download Parallels updates just do so within the app via the "Check for Updates" feature.
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| Nov 24 2009 |
AWADO Thank you for that hint. I already tried this with no success. It downloaded an empty DMG from their servers and aborted with an error message. Reinstalling didn't change anything. i wouldn't be so frustrated if I hadn't similar experiences with their server products leading to endless searches in their forums to eventually find a solution that do not survive the next update process. I just want it to work and not to create challenges. I bought Myst and Riven years ago.
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| Nov 21 2009 |
CELLPLUS It took only 30 min to decide to go back to 4.0. What is the improvement? Windows was slowed down greatly with 5.0 version.
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| Nov 23 2009 |
KENTR You must be kidding. Version 5 is blazing!
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| Nov 18 2009 |
D9 Here's why good software can be completely overshadowed by lousy customer service. The following is my email response to Parallels' response (a week later) to my application for their upgrade offer on version 4: "Well, the offer clearly states none of that. There's not even a single mention of either version 2.5 or 3.0, much less how it wouldn't allow Snow Leopard users. In future, perhaps you should explain things better so as not to waste people's time. FYI, if you would have checked your records, you'd have seen that I bought Parallels 2 then upgraded to 3. Then, as my invoice showed, purchased Parallels 4 in late August. Seems I more than qualify for your offer, but that's okay. I can go get VMWare Fusion 3 for $20, brand new. Once again, this is what your offer states on your website as of 11/18/09 (please point me to the area where it state version 2/3 prerequisite): For customers who upgraded to and registered Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac between August 28 and September 30, we value your business and want to provide a special offer to upgrade to Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac. Although you are not eligible for our Grace Period free upgrade program, wed like to offer you a very special upgrade price. This offer is available at My Account on our website. On Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 3:41 PM, Parallels wrote: PARALLELS DESKTOP 5 FOR MAC Thank you for your interest in upgrading to Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac. We have received and reviewed the form you submitted for the $9.95 upgrade offer. Unfortunately the information you submitted does not qualify for this special offer. This offer was designed for customers who purchased Parallels Desktop for Mac 2.5 and 3.0 from Parallels, then moved to Snow Leopard when it shipped (late August 2009), and then were unable to use their Windows applications in Parallels Desktop for Mac without upgrading to version 4.0. However, if you are still interested in upgrading to Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac, please visit www.parallels.com for more information. Parallels Customer Support" ---- That folks is the smell of BS!! VMWare here I come. (Great rebate price @ Buy.com until Nov. 30, '09...$20) /
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| Nov 17 2009 |
IGREG P.S. I am checking out VirtualBox.
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| Nov 17 2009 |
IGREG I just received postcard an email about $40 for upgrade for limited time. No sale. V.4 working adequately for me in Snow Leopard. I purchased full V. 4 this past Spring and the upgrade price to upgrade is too much too soon for me. For $30 maybe.
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 | Nov 15 2009 |
MAC ADAM Have Blue Screen of the Death on MacPro BootCamp XPPro (I was try with one CPU), Snow Leopard Drivers do not works, after uninstall, parallels Works
driver_irql_not_less_or_equal this update is expansive for the problems when update !!!
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| Nov 13 2009 |
IMINI I think this round goes to Parallels! I have compared Parallels Desktop 5 to Fusion 3 and my findings are: - PD5 feels faster in Vista/Windows 7- virtual machines load and shut down faster, windows scroll smoother, suspend and restore is much faster, videos playback and flash on web pages are smoother - PD5 supports Compiz in Ubuntu! (Fusion 3 does not) - Ubuntu 9.10 works very well (Fusion 3 has problems with sound and other things) - PD5 has many little options not present in Fusion 3 - like what happens after VM shutdown (keep window open, close window or quit PD) etc. - Unity in Fusion looks nicer than Coherence in PD - has nice rounded corners - both are stable, no problems whatsoever Overall version 5 seems to be very much improved. Definitely worth trying before upgrading to Fusion 3.
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| Nov 11 2009 |
BOB_TM Parallels Desktop is a good program and I've used it on and off for a while, but major upgrades are to frequent and expensive, so I'm leaving Parallels in favor of VirtualBox. Good luck.
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| Nov 11 2009 |
BOBBYDOG let me share my experience with parallels. i bought a macbook pro two weeks ago (late october) and took some time to research how to use windows with it. i didnt want to use bootcamp, as i didnt wantt o partition my hard drive and reboot to switch systems. i thought about vmware and some others, but felt parallels would be best option. i liked everything i heard about it. so off i went in search of parallels website. i paid $87 for the download version of parallels desktop 5 and the extended download service. i installed it and thought great. i created the virtual machine and then tried to install windows xp. at this point, our experiences become very similar. the installation of xp stopped at less than halfway and i got a message that parallels tools had not been installed, and i got an option to click the button to install the tools. what happened next was surreal. the program began searching the xp disc, in the dvd drive, for the parallels tools. i thought it was odd as i had downloaded the program. but after i had clicked the button, i could do nothing. parallels froze my machine. i figured i had just had bad luck until i tried to contact parallels for support. unlike most reputable companies (for example, hp has the most excellent after-sales service i have ever encountered), parallels was a bust. first, they say there is a 30-day free support. that, in my case was bullshit. when i tried to make contact to make use of that 30-day support, i was asked for my purchase order id number. when i typed it in and click submit, i reeived a notice that the number was invalid. i tried several times, but got the same result. i then tried to find an e-mail address but, conveniently for the company, they do not offer one for north america, from where i bought the download. unfortunately foe me, i am a journalist working in china, so it is not practical for me to call their phone number. when i uninstalled the program, i got a feedback form asking why i removed the program. i sent a detailed e-mail back, explaining the situation, how the program did not work right and how their lack of any semblance of customer support left me with NO confidence in either the product or the support team and i asked for a reply. i did receive an automated reply with the typical promise to read the e-mail etc etc, but have not received a reply. i have reopened that automated e-mail and sent a reply again asking for a refund, confirmation that i will receive a refund and confirmation from a person that they received my e-mail. only once have i experienced such an abysmal product and even worse customer support. cant even refer to it as customer support, as with customer support there is some form of communication and response to the complaint. and for the life of me, i cant understand how the purchase order number was invalid. the activation key they sent me worked fine and registered the product. i would like to hear from others who have had bad experiences (or even good) with this product and company representatives. i am thinking about writing an article about my experience with parallels for the tech pages. i might not get my refund, but i will be able to warn others what could be in store for them if they purchase this product.
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