- Parallels Access is the best remote access app that we’ve seen for iOS so far, and makes it much easier to remotely work with Mac and Windows programs on an iPad.
- When running Parallels Access on the iPad, you can target which resolution is best for you to work with as well: Best for iPad, More Space, and Same as Computer.
Parallels Access 3.1
The latest version of Parallel Access adds a much-requested feature – support for the iPad Pro. Parallels Access, which gives users a convenient and natural way to control their desktop applications from their tablet or phone, now has full support for the large screen of the 12.9” iPad Pro.
Of course, this new version of Parallels Access – version 3.1 – still has the three resolution choices for your mobile device: “Best for your device”, “More Space”, and “Same as Computer”, but now those choices make use of the full resolution of the iPad Pro. The image below shows these resolution choices on my iPad Pro for the same Excel spreadsheet when Excel is running on my 27” iMac.
You might wonder why the “Same as Computer” image in figure 2 has letterboxing black bars at the top and the bottom of the iPad screen. This is because of the aspect ratio mismatch between the 27” iMac screen (2560 x 1440 resolution) and the iPad Pro screen (2732 x 2048 resolution). By letterboxing the image, we ensure that you see no image distortion on your iPad.
Parallels is best known to Mac users as one of the handful of companies—including VMWare and a couple of others—that make apps enabling you to run Windows on your Mac.Now the company is.
In addition to support for the iPad Pro, Parallels Access 3.1 also adds the following features on iOS clients:
Ipad Pro 9.7
- Support for 3D Touch on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus — press to drag-and-drop or right-click
- Support for Apple Pencil with iPad Pro, and other common styluses with all iPads and iPhones
- Folders on the App Launcher
- Support for cursor movement using the onscreen keyboard as a trackpad (in OS 9)
- Support for Windows 10 tablet mode
Parallels Access 3.1 also adds the following features on Android clients:
- Support for Windows 10 tablet mode
- Samsung Edge support: Toolbar on the Edge and Taskbar
- Support for Android M
In case you are not familiar with the new Tablet mode in Windows 10, it is a new Windows 10 mode that makes Windows 10 easier to interact with when you don’t have a mouse or keyboard.Tablet mode is very natural way to interact with Windows 10 when you are using Parallels Access on a mobile device to control your desktop or laptop Windows 10 PC.
This short video shows Windows 10 Tablet mode in use, and several other features of Parallels Access 3.1:
Split View
What about Split View on the iPad Pro?Fully supporting Split View in Parallels Access would require changing the screen resolution of the remote computer, and such resolution changes on the Mac or on a PC take several seconds.Therefore, Parallels Access cannot support Split View with the required smooth fluidity that iPad users expect. You do get the “Slide Right” behavior in Parallels Access (See Figures below), but without the ability to control screen splitting, or use both applications simultaneously.
Parallels Access also enables you to access to your remote computer(s) from any computer or device with a current web browser (HTML 5); simply login to your Parallels account to select and access your computer without having to install any browser extensions.
Parallels Access 3.1 is a free update to anyone with a current Parallels Access subscription, and there is a free, 7-day trial for anyone else. Download a free trial of Parallels Access now at www.parallels.com/access.
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Parallels has released an app that allows Windows and Mac OS X software to be used on the iPad.
Parallels Access customises the way apps are launched and how they respond to make them better suited to a touchscreen device.
Mac and Windows apps are run through a launcher, which presents each one as a large touchscreen icon. The launcher is automatically populated but apps can be added or removed.
Apps launch in full screen, with Access adding support for touchscreen taps and swipes, and a magnifying glass. When a user fails to tap squarely on a screen button, the app makes a best guess at the most likely intended action, making it easier to use touch with tiny buttons and other UI features designed for a mouse pointer.
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Users can switch between running apps by tapping to bring up a quick bar.
Words and graphics can also be copied from within apps and pasted to other iPad apps or between Mac and Windows apps, using iPad-native select and drag copying.
Access works by streaming applications from a Mac or Windows PC over a network to the iPad. The machine can't be used while the connection is active. Parallels Access can operate on both 3G and wi-fi networks but Parallels recommends using a broadband wi-fi network for a more stable connection.
Early reviews of Access report the software's smart-tap feature works well but that resizing the apps for the iPad's screen can result in a slightly grainy look and that small toolbars and drop-down menus are still fiddly on the tablet. Responsiveness seems to be affected by the quality of connection but is relatively good when connected via wi-fi or LTE but more laggy on slower connections.
Access is available for an annual subscription of £54.99 in the UK and $79.99 in the US for each computer being accessed. The Mac agent is available now and the PC agent is in a beta period, during which it is free.
Parallels Access app can be installed on a second-, third- or fourth-generation iPad or an iPad Mini running iOS 6. On the desktop side, Access can be used with OS X 10.7 Lion, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, with experimental support for OS X 10.9 Mavericks, and with Windows 7 and 8, with experimental support for Windows XP and 8.1.