Power to the People

Today, I am excited by the release of Parallels Desktop 5 for Macs.  Earlier this month with the new Macs and Windows 7, users were thrown into a whirlwind market of products. However, using Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac, I can seamlessly integrate my PC desires with my Mac needs. 

Parallels Desktop 5 shows that finally someone is listening to the users.  This new updated software has become sleek with the hidden integration of coherence mode and full support of Aero, including Aero Flip 3D and even OpenGL 2.1 support across Windows including Windows 7.  A few other futuristic features inside of the product include the ability to apply a MacLook theme to boring Windows applications.  The ability to use your Apple remote with Windows programs (yeah! No more carrying around that PowerPoint dongle!) and the ability for an administrator (or parent) to lock down the configuration of a virtual machine.  These new features are just to name a few of the 70 new features that Parallels has added.  I can even use my touchpad on my Mac and pinch and rotate my PC windows even with my brand new Apple Magic Mouse

Of all the features, the Crystal mode is one of my favorite features, but you do not have to take my word on Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac.  Check out these reviews:

 

“Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac is fast to load, even faster to suspend and resume. Saves me a lot of time.”

T.  Crawford

 

“The support for hardware-accelerated graphics (i.e. Aero) is great! I get the full Vista or Windows 7 experience without the need to reboot into Boot Camp. Plus: suspend seems faster, the revised UI is more pleasant, and I like being able to click on Parallels in the Dock to get my Start menu.”

D.  Feldman

 

“I set my computer to Coherence view on startup and never have to think of it again.  I access my PC files seamlessly!  It has saved me hours of frustration going from one system to another.  This program is ready for Prime Time.  I am truly pleased with this version of Parallels. I've followed it from its inception and am very pleased with the developers' updates.   It was good when it first came out but the incremental improvements have kept me happy!  Kudos to a company that didn't just sit on their Laurels!”

K. Dressler

 

“I've been using Virtual Machines since the days of the now defunct Connectix Virtual PC for MacOS 9 on a Power Mac G4, and boy did Virtual Machine Applications on the Mac have evolved since then, not only because Apple moved to Intel, so there was no need to emulate Intel on PPC, or not only because Intel chips now support a series of virtualization technologies (VT-x, VT-d), but because Parallels Desktop for Mac appeared on the scene and completely changed the landscape of virtualization, bringing the expected 1:1 experience when running VMs. And now with Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac the distinction between running a demanding OS like Windows 7 natively or thru virtualization blurs even more, bringing not only the eye-candy of Aero but the performance I expect from the superior Apple hardware I proudly own.”

P.  Bidarra

 

“As a business user having grown with the evolution of intel Macs, Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac is by far the best release out of any of the virtualization programs I have tried.  (I have used the major releases of Virtual PC, VM ware Fusion, and Parallels.)   It's a clean simple interface that integrates Windows applications as if they were native. It is very stable and snappy without seeming to impact my OS X environment at all.  Lastly, I can set it up the way I work and it behaves exactly as it should.  If I need full screen windows, the integration of coherence mode, or the control of window mode, it all just works."

E. McLaulin

Video Demo of Parallels Desktop for Mac 5

See Parallels Desktop for Mac 5 in action.

The Great Browser War II

Today's blog post comes from the Gary Rosenzweig.  You can find more of his blog posts at:  http://www.MacMost.com

Remember the Great Browser War? Well, we call it Browser War I now that Browser War II is in full swing. It was Netscape vs. Internet Explorer. And the greatest casualties were suffered by Web site developers.

Those of us that were Mac users had to buy an entire second computer -- a PC with Windows -- to test our Web sites on. There was no way around it. Pages that worked perfectly well on Netscape Mac, or even IE Mac, would look very different in IE Windows. We had to have that Windows machine to test. OK, we played games on it too, but according to our tax filings, it was all for serious testing.

Browser War II, despite being just as horrible for the Web sites in the trenches, is easier on developers. Instead of getting a second computer to run Windows, we can run Windows on our Macs. I can't tell you how satisfying it is to be able to do this. My newest PC is a powerful Pentium IV that I bought at the end of the last Browser War. It sits there and ages. It goes day after day without being turned on, updated, or virus-checked. I don't even play games on it anymore.

Meanwhile, on my Mac I've got Windows Vista running with Boot Camp and inside Parallels. In fact, I've got Vista, Windows 7 and also Ubuntu Linux running in Parallels. So my testing isn't done on another computer, it is all done on the same screen, right at my desk. I can have Internet Explorer up and running in about three minutes, even if booting Windows from scratch. Then I can test my Web pages live, updating them from my Mac programs and checking them out in Internet Explorer in Windows. All side-by-side with one screen, one keyboard and one mouse. One thing I do sometimes is to give Parallels 4 out of my 8 processors, and 4GB out of my 10GB of memory. Then I go full screen on my second monitor. So it looks like I've got a Mac and a PC on my desk that mysteriously share the same keyboard, mouse, and clipboard.

On my Mac I've got an FTP program and a text editor and I am deep inside my Web site's PHP code. I've got Safari and Firefox running as well, for testing. And in Parallels I've got Internet Explorer running. All I need to do is click the refresh button and I can see how my page looks in what is sadly still the most popular Web browser. And if I want to see how the page looks in IE7 instead of IE8, I can boot up Windows Vista in Parallels too, where I have kept IE at version 7 specifically for testing.

In the old days, I would have had two Windows machines to see two different versions of IE running simultaneously.Even if those machines were somehow free, it would still have been a pain to have all those computers, screens, keyboards and mice -- or to have had a switching system to run them all using the same accessories. I remember doing that for a while, though I'm trying hard to forget.

So thanks to software like Parallels, the Web developers are doing much better in this second Browser War. We require less time and resources testing on Windows, which leaves more time for playing games.

Totally Playing the Field: Parallels Supports Windows 7

I know you're all just waking up from the after effects of your “Windows 7 parties”, but today's the day that Windows 7 rolls out, for real. 

Parallels has had experimental support for the Release Candidate of Windows 7 in Parallels Desktop for Mac since it came out, but now that Microsoft has given the world its final version, of course we're ready with official support for Windows 7! All users of Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac can get a hotfix update today and have a fully supported Windows 7 experience. So... Snow Leopard, meet Windows 7…

And now to get you acclimated, here are some Parallels/Windows7 links from around the web:

• How to Install Windows 7 on your Mac
• How to run Windows 7 on a mac using Parallels 
• Awesome video showing Parallels Desktop (Windows 7 on OS X Leopard) 

Why Make War, When You Can Make Compatibility?

 

No one ever said that Steve Jobs and Bill Gates had to skip around town holding hands for Apple and Microsoft to coexist.  So yes, Apple did surprise the market with these new tech upgrades during the same week of the Windows 7 release.  Was it a strategic maneuver?   Some believe that Apple was ambushing Window 7's release, while others believe that the release of Windows 7 will be unaffected by Apple.  Mac and Pc bloggers stirred in the excitement and drama of the competition of these products, but whoever said that one product had to outshine the other? 

As Betty White says "All creatures must learn to coexist.  That's why the brown bear and the field mouse can share their lives in harmony.  Of course, they can't mate or the mice would explode."  What if they could mate?  Not the brown bear and field mouse, nor Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, but Apple and Microsoft? Why not use Windows 7 on your Mac?

For those who Want To Buy Windows 7? Buy A Mac.  This Forbes article states:

The solution? Buy a Mac. Buy Windows 7. Load the Mac up with the new software. We promise it won't explode. Apple's Boot Camp utility even makes this easy. Then, as Apple Chief Steve Jobs might say--boom--you've got a very nice PC.

Not that the latest version of Apple's OS X operating system, Snow Leopard, is bad. It's not. The problem: Many computer users know Windows too well to give it up now. And why should they? Windows 7 is getting some good reviews.

Even though there are conspiracy theories that Steve Jobs was positioning Apple to stamp out the Microsoft competition, perhaps Steve and Bill conspired together to create product discussion and build stronger brand identity through competition conversation.  Regardless of any market theories, there is no need to polarize these two companies and products.  So have your Mac and Windows(with Parallels) too. 

Technology Drama: Apple vs. Windows 7

Apple, a power house distributor of software and hardware, has become the Trojan Horse for Microsoft.  Without the slightest noise, Apple announced today that they are offering seductive products at lowered prices:

1. MacBook
2. Mighty Mac mini
3. Magic Mouse
4. iMac

Will these products and prices be enough to convert Window users to Macs?  While we can't predict the future, here is a battle of the bloggers:

New iMac and Magic Mouse Trump Windows 7 Launch 

In an expceptionally shrewd move Apple today launched a raft of new kit only 2 days before Microsofts release of Windows 7 including new iMacs, a new entry level Macbook, a new multi-touch wireless mouse and redesigned Mac Mini’s including one with Snow Leopard server!

Apple Smashes Street forecasts, "Windows 7 not a threat"

But it was the company's venerable Mac warhorse, which has steadily expanded market share for years, that starred. The stellar shipment numbers came just days before rival Microsoft Corp was set to unveil its latest version of Windows operating system, to be followed a day later by its own quarterly results.

Mac sales hit 3.05 million in the September quarter, above average estimate for about 2.8 million. Sales of laptop units alone leapt 35 percent, at a time the global PC market is stagnant.

Apple declares war on the entire PC industry

There is absolutely nothing coincidental about Apple launching new products today. The big product launch is Apple's first preemptive marketing strike against Microsoft, Windows 7 and the entire PC industry. It's a bold move exploiting a position of strength against an industry weakened by low-margin, low-priced netbooks.

Windows 7 officially launches in two days. Best Buy already has Windows 7 PCs on sale, but not for purchase. Dell started taking Windows 7 over the weekend. Gartner is telling businesses they must upgrade to Windows 7, despite any hardships migrating from Windows XP. Microsoft is priming the marketing pumps. The PC industry is collectively turning its attention to Windows 7, which Microsoft is trying to launch with some bang rather than a whimper.

Time will only tell who will win this fast and furious blogging. Who knows, maybe this upcoming Thursday, Windows 7 will show their strength against the Apple Trojan Horse, or maybe they will be taken over by the Apple Grecians?

Snow Leopard To The Future

Snow Leopard is a user-friendly operating system, which has more users inclined to use this software. With difficulties in upgrading Windows 7, people are finding Snow Leopard a popular choice for operating systems.  Here is a round up of Snow Leopard compatibility and usability:   

1.  Apple sees Windows 7 as an opportunity to sell Macs

Users are really growing tired of Windows and the headaches it brings," said Brian Croll, Apple's vice president of Mac OS X worldwide product marketing. "We've seen this with Vista, XP, and the other Windows operating systems going all the way back." 

While Apple clearly believes Mac OS X Snow Leopard is a superior operating system, the company doesn't believe it comes down to a comparison of the latest releases that will make the difference. Apple believes that for a lot of users it is an accumulation of issues. 

2.  Snow Leopard Leaps Past Win 7 In Time Tests

Leopard “consistently outdid” Microsoft’s soon-to-be released Windows 7 operating system,according to a head-to-head time test. Apple’s latest OS X operating system outpaced Windows in both boot-up and shutdown, according to a review conducted by CNet.

Leopard needed 36.4 seconds to boot up versus 42.7 seconds for Windows 7. The gap was even more significant in the time needed to shut down the 2008 MacBook Pro. While Snow Leopard required 6.6 seconds to shut down, Windows 7 took 12.6 seconds, the study found.

3.  69 Awesomely Free Snow Leopard Compatible Apps 

Adium- Talk to anyone The go to chat app on Macs for years. Connects to AIM, Yahoo, MSN Jabber, Facebook, ICQ, Bon Jour, Google Talk and more. If there's a chat, chances are, Adium can handle it.

AppCleaner- Clean your virtual room A small application that helps truly delete applications when you move them to the trash.

Carbon Copy Cloner- Making copies. Create a clone of your drive ready for installation on another drive. A great backup tool for those that value their data.

The Draft Of The Day: The Future of Operating Systems

Today's blog post comes from the Kung Fu Drafter.  You can find more of his blog posts at:  http://www.kungfudrafter.com/

Doesn’t it seem odd when one stops to consider how dramatically different even today’s bargain basement laptop is compared to the models from the early 1990’s? From processors to displays to the fact that you can’t find a 3.5” disk drive if your life depended on it. Still we are bound to the concept of operating systems based on computer format. Even though these “modern” operating systems are different and vastly expanded versions, at heart they are simply prettier versions of the same old Windows or Mac operating systems. Even the CPU’s of these computer formats, the most fundamental difference between Windows and Mac machines, has changed over the years! And yet the same operating systems remain.

We are at a point in technology where we have super fast; super affordable computers designed for ever level of user imaginable. We have seemingly limitless hard drive space and video processing power in homes to rival Hollywood studios. Even the internet has evolved to become an interactive platform that is gaining in power and capability every day. Yet we still have the Windows and Mac operating systems.

We’ve come so far down the trail of computer technology that now we can even immolate one operating system within another. No longer are we limited in the choice of applications available to us. Gone are the days when an Apple computer user could only purchase “Mac software”. Now a Mac user has the entire Windows software world open to them through the use of virtualization software such as Parallels. So that brings us to a point where we have to ask the question, “How important is the operating system?”

If we can purchase a Mac and whatever the operating system update de jour is, but run any operating system we choose, how important is that operating system? If we choose a piece of virtualization software and install a second operating system within the first does that not negate the importance of a system operating system?

The real question at the time of purchase changes from “Which computer has the operating system with the most applications?” to “Which virtualization application is the best for loading the operating system that runs that application I want?” In that case we have mitigated the choice of computer operating systems to a non-issue. What is important is the virtualization application, the middleware. So I’ve come to the conclusion that the middleware, whether it is a browser for Web 2.0 applications,or virtualization software, is the new operating system.

In the future, Slush Kitten or Windows IIXX or whatever the developers call the newest computer operating systems will not be the deciding factor in computer purchase and use. That definitive question will become “Is Parallels available on that format? Because I know that lets me run Windows, and Linux, and Chrome and X and Y”. The operating system, for all its cost of development and long history of service, may have finally fallen by the wayside. This opinion hold especially true in the belief that many people share in which large scale operating system releases are a thing of the past.

As the role and emphasis of the computer operating system subsides, the rise of the middleware will be exponential. Applications, such as browsers and virtualization software that offer cross platform utilization will form the computing world of the future. It will be a future where the chauffer is more important than the car that takes you somewhere. It will be an exciting future. One so vastly different than where we started that our past selves could only have imagined it in a parallel universe …

No Need To Be Shy About Fusion

You may have seen that VMWare announced the new Fusion 3.0 upgrade will come at the end of October.  But what we noticed is that many of those "new" features are already in the current version of Parallels.  The Parallels Desktop team posted some of these features, including support for Snow Leopard and 3D graphics, and helps for switchers.  Take a look.

Stefan Prestele, our senior director of consumer marketing had this to say:

Parallels “According to today’s announcement, VMware Fusion 3 introduces support for Snow Leopard, migration functionality and improved graphics performance.  These capabilities have existed within Parallels’ Mac solutions for some time:  we have supported Snow Leopard since its launch, and already have a comprehensive offering for customers moving from a PC to a Mac with our dedicated Parallels Desktop Switch to Mac Edition, launched in August. We set the standard for performance and graphics support, and are continually working to deliver the richest, fastest graphics solutions. These efforts make Parallels Desktop the number 1 Mac system utility.  

Our relentless drive to delight customers fuels our ongoing effort to deliver innovative solutions to our customers, as can be seen in our awarding winning Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac and our more recently delivered Parallels Desktop Switch to Mac Edition.  We haven’t stood still since the release of Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac and are committed to delivering additional innovations in our upcoming releases.

That should clear things up a bit. 

OK, but what about those of you in the market to upgrade now either because you're a new switcher or you're looking for Snow Leopard support ?  You need to buy something, so you may be thinking to go with whatever is newest.  Well, we have something for you. 

Yeah, we're not shy.

What Happens in Vegas, Doesn’t Stay in Vegas: Parallels Summit 2010

With glitz and glam in Vegas 2009, we are bringing Parallels Summit to Miami from February 22-24, 2010.   Here are three reasons why you should sign-up and go to Parallels Summit.  If you: 

1. Love Technology: This event will have three tracks: Service Provider, Technology, and Industry, with sessions that will concentrate on SaaS, virtualization, and hosting strategies.  You can even market your company and yourself as a leader in the Cloud or technology industry through sponsorship opportunities. You can be the giver and receiver of technology.
2. Like Making New Business Friends:  Parallels Summit is offering sponsored meals for you to network with fellow attendees.   Over 60% of all attendees are CEOs, owners, COOs, and Managing Directors.  While you may attend the event not knowing many people, by the end of Parallels Summit, you will be able to potentially call, tweet, Facebook, send a carrier pigeon note, or perhaps even “super poke” your more diverse network.
3. Want to go to the “Magic City”:  While February may be considered a “winter” month, Miami will be about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  This will be just warm enough to get some tanning oil on (or rubbing oil on someone else) and to sit on the beach after a long day at Parallels Summit.

By the end of this event, you will be in the know about cutting edge technology, have a wider networking pool, and have a great tan or burn.  So mark this event in your calendar, sign-up and get ready for winter in Miami.  The time is now to register.