RENTON, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Parallels® (www.parallels.com/about), a global leader in cross-platform solutions and creator of industry-leading software for running Windows® applications on a Mac®, today launched Parallels Desktop® 11 for Mac (www.parallels.com/desktop). The release includes a new version of the software for developers, designers and power users, Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition. It also includes Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition, previously known as the Enterprise Edition.
The new editions of Parallels Desktop for Mac benefit from speed improvements of up to 50 percent, Travel Mode which extends battery life up to 25 percent while on the go, support for Windows 10 along with OS X® El Capitan readiness and a host of other features for both Windows and Mac users.
With Parallels Desktop, you can switch between Mac and Windows without ever needing to reboot your computer. If you have already installed Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, or Windows 7 on your Mac using Boot Camp, you can set Parallels Desktop to run Windows from the Boot Camp Partition or import Windows and your data from Boot Camp into.
“Developers, designers and power users are one of the biggest audiences among our millions of Parallels Desktop for Mac customers,” said Jack Zubarev, Parallels president. “We’ve created Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition specifically for them and will continue to quickly innovate to help them stay more productive in their day-to-day work. Seamless experience has been the hallmark of Parallels Desktop since its inception. Today we further our commitment to innovation with Parallels Desktop 11—from Windows 10 and El Capitan integration to making Microsoft’s Cortana® available on Mac. We’ve made it easier than ever for our customers to run Windows on a Mac.”
Parallels Desktop 11 empowers Mac users to run Windows 10 and leverage the advantages of Microsoft’s intelligent personal assistant, Cortana, when using both Windows and OS X. This is the first time that Parallels Desktop has ever made a Windows feature available for OS X applications. Parallels Desktop 11 also provides experimental support for OS X El Capitan prior to its launch, and will fully support the platform shortly after its release to give users a seamless experience with the latest OSes.
“As Windows 10 and OS X El Capitan enter the market, it is essential for businesses, developers and consumers that need to be productive to use virtualization software to easily run both operating systems, so they can work effectively, regardless of their platform,” said Laura DiDio, Strategy Analytics director of research and consulting. “All three Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac editions provide the best tools to address respective customer audiences and deployment scenarios that seamlessly enable people to use the applications they need, regardless of platform.”
New Parallels Desktop 11 ease-of-use benefits include improved performance and battery life with the use of Travel Mode, which can easily be activated to optimize performance. When users are on the go and not connected to power, Parallels Desktop Travel Mode will automatically extend battery life by up to 25 percent by temporarily shutting off resources that drain power.
Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac offers tremendous speed performance improvements over the previous version for an even faster work experience, including1:
- Windows launch and shutdown is up to 50 percent faster
- File operations inside of Windows are improved by up to 20 percent
- Virtual machine suspend is up to 20 percent faster
- Travel Mode can increase battery life up to 25 percent
- Improved network performance
Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac Pro Edition
Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac Pro Edition (www.parallels.com/desktop) is a new version of the software specifically designed for developers, designers and power users, giving them the powerful tools they need for maximum productivity. The Pro Edition supports integration with popular developer tools including Docker, Visual Studio (plug-in), Chef and Jenkins, Vagrant, Guest OS debugging and network simulation. Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac Pro Edition empowers users to run preview Windows machines and use nested virtualization for both Windows and Linux guests, making it the perfect tool for developers, power users and testers who need a variety of virtual machine environments, including simulation of more complex deployments.
Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition
Previously known as Parallels Desktop for Mac Enterprise Edition, Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition (www.parallels.com/business) includes all Pro Edition features, offering IT admins the most efficient means to enable their employees with Macs to run Windows applications.
The Business Edition builds upon Parallels Desktop’s award-winning solution by adding administrative features that enable IT departments to control and manage end user virtual machines as well as manage and administer licenses via the new Parallels License Management Portal. This exclusive feature provides IT administrators with vital information, such as license expirations, usage statistics, and real-time visibility into licensing activities, to easily manage all of their deployed licenses. Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition also supports business cloud services including Box, Dropbox for Business and OneDrive® Business.
Product Features
Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac (www.parallels.com/desktop)
- Always on Cortana enables customers to use Microsoft’s virtual assistant with Mac applications, even when Windows 10 is not the forefront application
- Travel Mode extends the battery life by up to 25 percent by temporarily shutting off select resources that drain power
- Quick Look for Windows extends this cool Mac convenience to Windows documents and files
- New Force Touch gesture support enables a quick preview of files with Quick Look or the ability to look up the definition of an unknown word
- Improved Mac Window Controls include a new Coherence mode button
- Most recently used files list now can be viewed on the Mac regardless of where those files are stored: on the Mac, in a virtual machine, in the cloud or on a file server
- New easy printing with all Mac printer options support saves time with an intuitive solution for OS X users
- “New Item” support for creation of new files in Windows apps including Microsoft Outlook®, Excel® and Word
- Now users can easily cancel time-consuming virtual machine actions
- Mac location services are now available to Windows applications
- Automatic synchronization of the volume setting of a virtual machine with that of the Mac
- Enhanced file associations with smart notification messaging helps change file association in OS X
- Improvements in the setup and use of a virtual machine to directly access a Boot Camp® Windows partition—without rebooting
- One-time opportunity to upgrade to Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac Pro Edition from Parallels Desktop 9 or 10 for $49.99 per year
- Improved Japanese keyboard—specific to the Japanese language edition only
Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac Pro Edition (www.parallels.com/desktop)
All of the features of Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac, as well as the following new and key features:
- Integration with key developer tools, such as Docker, Visual Studio (plug-in), Chef and Jenkins
- Support for Vagrant and other developer tools
- Additional user profiles for developers, power users and testers for optimal configuration for their particular scenarios
- Advanced networking tools and configuration for virtual networks to test complex networking scenarios, including the ability to simulate some network instabilities
- Cloud storage access through Box.net, Dropbox for Business and OneDrive Business, for sharing from Windows to Mac
- Headless mode for running virtual machines in the background without user interface
- Ability to create linked clones to conserve disk space and optimize installations
- Enhanced memory (64 GB RAM) and processing power (16 vCPU) for improved performance
- Nested virtualization for Linux guests
- Modern.IE test environments in the Parallels New Virtual Machine Wizard provide access to free trials of browsers for testing
- 24/7 phone and email support
Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac Business Edition (www.parallels.com/business)
All of the features of the Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac Pro Edition, as well as the following key additions:
- Centralized administration and management capabilities to keep IT in control of virtual machines
- Web-based Parallels License Management Portal with a single activation key to eliminate manual management of individual license keys
- Business-level support, including prioritized 24/7 phone and email support options
- USB devices policy enforcement for additional security
Availability and Pricing
Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac, Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac Pro Edition and Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac Business Edition are available now to both current and new Parallels Desktop for Mac users at www.parallels.com/desktop and at local retail stores worldwide.
The recommended retail price (RRP) of Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac is $79.99. Upgrades for existing Parallels Desktop 9 or 10 for Mac customers are $49.99, with an introductory offer to upgrade to a Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition subscription for $49.99 per year. Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac Pro Edition and Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac Business Edition are available to new customers for $99.99 per year. Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition includes a complimentary Parallels Access (www.parallels.com/access) subscription to remotely access their Mac from any device.
About Parallels
Parallels is a global leader in cross-platform solutions which make it possible and simple for customers to use and access the applications and files they need on any device or operating system. We help customers take advantage of the best technology out there, whether it’s Windows, Mac, iOS, Android™ or the cloud. Parallels solves complex engineering and user experience problems by making it simple and cost-effective for businesses and individual customers to use applications wherever they may be—local, remote, in the private datacenter or in the cloud. Visit www.parallels.com/about for more information.
Stay connected with Parallels and our online communities: Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/parallelsinc, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/parallelsmac and visit our blog at http://blog.parallels.com.
1 Based on Parallels internal testing
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Parallels and the Parallels logo are registered trademarks of Parallels IP Holdings GmbH in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Users running Windows on Apple Inc.'s Intel-based MacBook laptops have long complained about how quickly they find themselves running on empty.
'Whenever I am using Fusion [with XP] my battery life is substantially cut,' wrote one typical MacBook owner last fall on the support forum for VMware Inc.'s virtualization software. 'On a max charge, I am lucky if I can get an hour and 45 minutes compared to about roughly 4 hours without using Fusion.'
That's not surprising. Virtualization software performs the extremely CPU-taxing task of simulating an entire PC environment to get Windows to run. This generates heat that must be dissipated by the MacBook's fan, which drains the battery even faster.
Former PC World VP and editor-in-chief Harry McCracken writes at his Technologizer site that the accelerated battery drain is the inevitable 'stiff tax' of virtualization software such as VMware Fusion, Parallels Desktop and OpenOSX's WinTel.
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But the vampire-like draining also afflicts users running Windows on Macs without virtualization, using Apple's Boot Camp software.
In June, popular hobbyist blog AnandTech published the results of its tests, which found that battery life for a MacBook running Vista under Boot Camp was between 25% and 50% shorter than under Mac OS X.
In a CNET review earlier this week, the reviewer found that running Windows 7 on a MacBook shortened battery life from 5 hours under Mac OS X to just 90 minutes, a reduction of more than two-thirds.
So many questions, so few answers
So, what's behind the poor battery life? Anand Lal Shimpi, AnandTech's founder and the article's author, said he couldn't say, especially since he hadn't yet tested Vista versus Mac OS X on PC hardware. The only conclusion he would draw, he said in an e-mail, is that 'Apple continues to offer better battery life in general.'
Others are quicker to assign fault. 'If I had to guess, I'd blame Apple,' said Brian Madden, a desktop virtualization analyst. 'They're the ones who make the Windows 7 drivers that are used when you run Windows natively.'
Jim McGregor, an analyst with In-Stat, agrees. 'I would find it hard to believe that it is due to the OS, or Windows' bloat,' he said. 'It is likely due to the configuration with the virtualization [and/or] the drivers.'
Apple did not return a request for comment. It last updated its Boot Camp drivers in April 2008.
A spokesman for Nvidia Inc., which makes the MacBook's 9400M graphic chip that controls the screen, one of the biggest energy users inside any notebook, deferred all questions to Apple.
Isidor Buchmann, president of battery equipment vendor Cadex Electronics Inc., and blogger at BatteryUniversity.com, said he thinks that Windows could be at fault.
'Think of how long it takes for Windows to boot,' Buchmann said. 'I compare it to the original Ford Model T, which took five minutes for you to crankstart in the morning.'
Microsoft declined to comment, only saying by e-mail, 'This isn't a support scenario for Microsoft (Apple is not a licensed Windows OEM) so we have no information to share.'
A VMware spokeswoman noted that a June update to Fusion 2.0 'lowered overall CPU usage, which lowers overhead and helps improve battery life for all operating systems.'
OpenOSX claims that battery life under its virtualization software is actually pretty good. That, says OpenOSX owner Jeshua Lacock, is due to the WinTel software being able to take advantage of the MacBook's power management features.
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Will Windows 7 fare better?
According to Microsoft, Windows 7 has been re-engineered to have faster boot times and drain 11% less power than Vista.
But without new drivers from Apple or updated support from virtualization vendors, Windows 7's battery life may be as poor or worse than its predecessors.
When new drivers or support will arrive is unclear. Apple hasn't said when it will release Windows 7 drivers for Boot Camp.
VMware also declined to say when it would release new Windows 7 drivers, and otherwise officially support the OS, which is due in late October.
'We haven't done specific testing with regards to battery life and Windows 7 at this time,' the WMware spokeswoman said.
That could mean many more months or years of poor battery life for Windows 7 users on MacBooks.