Parallels 10 is packed with virtualization features and full support for Windows 10. High annual upgrade costs hold it back, but it’s still a fantastic piece of software.
For many Mac owners, the idea of running Windows (or other operating systems) is appealing. Whether it’s because their job requires the use of Windows-exclusive software, or they want to take advantage of the wider library of games available on Microsoft’s operating system, the reasons to run both are numerous.
A VM for everyone Parallels 14 review: Windows on your Mac is now faster than ever If you're looking for a good Windows PC, then look no further than a Mac running Parallels Desktop 14.
One popular way to accomplish installing Windows on a Mac is Apple’s Boot Camp, which lets users install it on a separate partition. If you need to switch back and forth frequently without restarting their computer, though, this is not a great option. That’s where virtualization comes into play, as it lets you create a virtual machine and run an alternate OS from within the main one.
When it comes to this, there’s three big players; Parallels 10, VMWare Fusion, and VirtualBox. Parallels 10 is the most expensive of the bunch, but is it worth it? That’s what we’re here to figure out today.
Set Up Process
The set up process can be extremely easy, or incredibly confusing, depending on how you choose to go about it. Regardless of whether you choose to go the easy way or the hard way, you’re going to need an ISO of the OS you want to install. You cannot use a Windows .exe file, and if you have one of those, you’ll have to begin the install process on a Windows PC and convert everything to an ISO file from there.
Once you have the disc image, the installation of Windows itself is typical, but before you get into the actual installation Parallels will ask you some questions to determine how to optimize it for you. Don’t worry, you can access these settings from the options at any time, you’re not locked into your choice. You’ll have four options for the types of software you’ll be running, and your answer will help it decide how to adjust the settings. You can choose productivity, games, design, or development. Choosing one of these will make the setup process quick and easy.
The set up process can be extremely easy, or incredibly confusing, depending on how you choose to go about it.
More experienced users can visit the setup options and adjust every aspect of your Windows installation, from the amount of RAM used to power Windows to how 3D graphics are handled.
Using the automatic option caused almost all text to be missing from my Windows 10 installation. It defaulted to DirectX 10, and I had to turn it off completely for my older mid 2011 MacBook to handle it. This meant I had to wade through the wide array of options, which is great to have for advanced users, but for someone new to virtualization, these options can be quite complicated. It took some trial and error, but at least there was a solution, frustrating at is was.
It’s definitely nice that Parallels 10 offers different options for setup. Advanced users can tweak every aspect of their installation, and new users can click a few buttons and be ready to go.
Key Features
Obviously, the key feature of Parallels 10 is the ability to run Windows, Linux, or Chrome OS alongside your existing Mac installation. But all of the other virtualization programs can do that as well, so it’s the extra features of program that make it stand out.
Parallels 10 plays nice with the new iOS 8 and Yosemite handoff features, so you’ll feel right at home. This means that you can still click a phone number link and make a call from your Mac, as long as your iPhone is nearby. This, along with some of the other features, make Windows not feel like a separate OS, but rather an integrated part of the OS X experience. Messages is still a Mac app, so you’ll need to switch back to OS X to send text messages, but as we’ll get to soon, switching back and forth is so fast that you won’t even notice it’s happening. It will even make the switch automatically if you click “Send with Messages” from the Windows Context menu.
The theme of integration is enhanced by a feature called Coherence. This lets users launch Windows applications from the OS X dock directly. As long as you already have Parralels running, it will pop open just a like a Mac app. If not, it will start the Windows boot process, and then open the app in a window.
Of course, you can also run Windows in full screen mode, which will give you access to both the desktop and Modern interface (as long as you’re using Windows 8), just as if you were using Boot Camp. But Coherence provides a much smoother transition between the two operating systems, as if the two were fused together into one seamless interface.
Parallels 10 plays nice with the new iOS 8 and Yosemite handoff features, so you’ll feel right at home.
When running Windows in full screen, switching between it and your OS X environment is the same as switching between desktops on your Mac. Swiping to the side with three fingers moves you over, or you can swipe up with three fingers and access all of your desktops. It creates an incredibly seamless experience that makes Windows feel like part of your normal workflow. Once you get used to It, it’s easy to forger that you’re even working in a different OS.
When you’re running Windows as the primary operating system, you’ll still get to enjoy all of the cool things you love about your Mac. That means the touch pad gestures you’re accustomed to using will still be available while working in Windows or another OS. You can also copy and paste across OS X and Windows. The process feels completely natural, and will come in handy for long-time Mac users (though it will always feel weird to close and minimize programs from the right side of the screen on an Apple computer).
Performance/Battery Life
We reviewed Parallels 10 on a 2011 MacBook Pro with an Intel Core i5 2.3GHz processor supported by 8GB of RAM. This isn’t a top-of-the-line laptop by any means, and its best days are definitely behind it. That said, performance wasn’t bad. You choose how much RAM and how many cores you want Windows to be able to use, which lets you adjust the experience based on your needs.
Parallels 3.0 for mac. 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.
To gauge performance we used GeekBench’s 32-bit benchmark. OS X alone scored 2,326 in single core performance. OS X running alongside Windows in Parallels 10 productivity app mode managed a slightly low score of 2,270. Windows running in the same mode with one gigabyte of RAM allotted just couldn’t do the job, so Geekbench crashed. When the RAM assignment was increased to 4GB the score was the lowest of the bunch, but not by much, with an average of 2,240.
There was some slowdown, and there’s no way I could use it to run any kind of PC game (even Roller Coaster Tycoon, a game released in 1999 was a bit of a struggle), but for Office and other Windows apps, the experience was quite pleasant. Unfortunately, the Mac used for testing struggles to run even basic, native games, so PC games were out of the question.
Newer, more powerful Macs will enjoy an even better experience, as Parallels offers full support for up to 16 vCPUs (virtual CPUs) and 64GB of RAM, which means that you’ll be able to push your device to its limit, running pretty much everything. Of course, many MacBooks don’t come with a dedicated GPU, so you might find that, even with a high-end model, gaming isn’t a perfect experience.
I did notice a major increase in heat when running both Windows and OS X, but the issue was only evident at high load. Heat was normal at idle. Again, this is not at all surprising, as the four year old laptop was certainly being pushed to its limit.
Starting up Windows does take a while, and during the Windows boot period, the laptop was nearly unusable. If it was in a shutdown state, it took a little over three minutes for everything to get going. Everything settled into place and worked fine, but it most certainly tested my patience every time I fired it up. Resuming from sleep was almost immediate, just like it would be if you were opening a Windows PC.
As for Battery life, there was a noticeable decrease in lifespan. A MacBook is optimized to work with OS X, and running Windows definitely uses quite a bit more power. Additionally, you’re splitting resources between two operating systems at the same time, so it only stands to reason that more power would drain while in use. With just OS X we hit two hours and 46 minutes running the Peacekeeper battery test. Running the same test through Windows with Parallels 10 netted two hours and four minutes of life, which is definitely a noticeable decrease.
Conclusion
In the end, Parallels 10 is a great piece of software for running Windows, Linux, and other operating systems on a Mac. While it does slightly decrease performance and battery life, it’s worth the tradeoff to be able to run other systems as part of your Mac workflow with minimal effort required.
At $80 for a new license or $50 for an upgrade from a previous version, Parallels 10 is rather expensive. VMWare Fusion is $55 for the full version or $40 for an upgrade and VirtualBox is free. Parallels 10 is arguably the “best” of the three, in terms of ease of use and features, but its advantages aren’t free.
As long as you know that going in, and you’re okay with spending some money to get the latest version, it’s quite easy to recommend Parallels 10, especially if you want to try out the Windows 10 Technical Preview, which works perfectly (and safely) in the latest version.
Parallels for mac releasw schedule. The last few years of Parallels Desktop for Mac release dates have been very predictable and we don’t expect to see any changes this time around – Watch for Parallels 10.
Highs
- Easy to install and use
- Can run Windows programs in a Mac environment
- Seamlessly blends OS X and Windows features
Lows
- Expensive, high upgrade cost
- Requires a powerful Mac for the best experience
- Can shorten battery life
Now Available: Try Parallels 11 for FREE
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Home > Articles > Apple > Operating Systems
␡- The Three Faces of Parallels
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
The Three Faces of Parallels
As mentioned briefly in Chapter 1, virtual machines in Parallels Desktop for Mac can be run in three ways.
- Single Window. In this mode, Windows runs within a window on the Mac desktop. This gives you access to two operating system desktops at the same time, making it particularly easy to drag files between them.
- Full-Screen. With this view, Windows fills the entire screen—there are no Mac OS X elements visible anywhere. It appears as though Windows is the only operating system on your Mac.
- Coherence. In this mode, Windows applications float freely on the Mac desktop, almost as though they are Macintosh applications. The Windows taskbar is available for managing these programs, sitting just above the Dock.
Each view has its advantages, and you can switch between them quickly and easily. But before we get into the details, let's talk about the Parallels interface.
You'll be able to view and work within the Parallels interface in only two instances: when the Windows operating system is running in Single Window mode, and when you're managing and tweaking your virtual machine when it is not running. You won't see this interface in Full-Screen or Coherence mode.
If you launch Parallels in Single Window mode, you'll notice a series of buttons, which Parallels calls the control bar, running down the right side of the window (FIGURE 4.8). You'll also see them when Parallels is running, but no virtual machine is active. These buttons control key functions for Parallels.
Figure 4.8 The Parallels control bar runs down the right side of the Parallels window.
From the top to the bottom, here's what each control bar button does:
- Stop. Stops the virtual machine and shuts down Windows.
- Pause. Pauses the virtual machine, similar to putting a physical computer to sleep.
- Start. Starts the virtual machine.
- Full-Screen. Opens the virtual machine so that it completely fills the screen.
- Coherence. Puts the VM in Coherence mode, so Windows applications float freely on the Mac desktop.
- Snapshot. Takes a snapshot of the virtual machine in its current state. (Snapshots are detailed in Chapter 5.)
- Revert. Restores the VM from the most recent snapshot.
- Snapshot Manager. Lets you choose from multiple snapshots.
The functions assigned to each of these buttons are also duplicated in the Parallels menu bar items. If you're working in Coherence mode, you'll need menu bar access because the control bar isn't visible in this mode. And if you're working in Full-Screen mode, you'll need to switch to either Coherence mode to access the functions through the menu bar, or to Single Window mode to access the buttons.
Now, let's take a detailed look at the three faces of Parallels.
Single Window Mode
Parallels' default view is to run Windows in a window (FIGURE 4.9).
Figure 4.9 In Single Window mode, Windows runs in a window on the Mac desktop.
In this mode, you have access to the control bar on the right side of the Parallels window, as well as device icons on the window's bottom right frame. You can right-click or Command-click the device icons to change aspects of the VM's virtual hardware.
Single Window mode also lets you easily move documents between desktops and folders in the two operating systems. If you click and hold on a document in the Parallels window and drag it onto the Mac OS X desktop, a copy will be placed there. You can also go back the other way, from Mac to Windows.
The first time you launch Windows in Parallels, it displays in Single Window mode. If you're in one of the other modes and want to return to the Single Window view, here's what you do:
- In Full-Screen mode: Press Alt-Option + Enter.
- In Coherence mode: From the Parallels menu bar, choose View > Single Window.
Full-Screen Mode
Parallels' Full-Screen view lets you work in Windows as though it is the primary operating system on your Mac. It completely fills the screen, and is best when you're working in multiple Windows applications and don't need access to the Mac operating system.
Entering Full-Screen mode
To enter Full-Screen mode from Single Window mode: Parallels for mac freezing.
Click the Full-Screen button on the right side of the Parallels window.
or
From the Parallels menu bar, choose View > Full Screen.
A message box appears telling you that you can use Alt + Enter to exit Full-Screen mode, or use Control + Alt to release the keyboard and mouse from Windows' control.
- Click OK to clear the message. You're now in Full-Screen mode.
To enter Full-Screen mode from Coherence mode:
- From the Parallels menu bar, choose View > Full Screen.
- At the prompt, click OK.
Giving Windows its very own space
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard has a new feature called Spaces, which allows you to have more than one desktop. We'll dive more deeply into Spaces in Chapter 10, but I want to use the feature here to give you a feel for the power of running more than one operating system at a time. Combining Parallels in Full-Screen mode with Spaces means you can quickly switch between full-screen views of multiple operating systems.
Why would you want to do this? Imagine working in multiple Microsoft Office windows on one, full-screen Windows desktop, quickly switching over to a copy of Adobe Photoshop CS3 on the Mac, where you're editing a high-res image, and then jumping back to paste that edited image into your Word document. You've got the screen real estate that full-screen views afford and no limitations on the software you can use.
I don't know about you, but I get goose bumps just thinking about it!
To access full-screen desktops for both Windows and Mac OS X via Leopard:
- Do one of the following:
- If Spaces is not enabled, from the Apple menu in the menu bar, choose System Preferences and then click the Exposé & Spaces icon.
- If Spaces is enabled on your system, skip to Step 4.
- Click the Spaces selection at the top of the screen. The Spaces dialog appears.
- Select the Enable Spaces check box, and then close the dialog.
Launch Parallels, and once it's running, click the Full-Screen button on the right side of the screen.
By default, Spaces creates four virtual Mac desktops behind the scenes, each with its own number. You can visualize them as a grid of four, with Desktop 1 and 2 on top, and Desktops 3 and 4 on the bottom. (In fact, as you will see in a moment, Leopard can present your virtual desktops in this view.) If you've followed the steps above, your full-screen Parallels display has been assigned to Desktop 1.
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- If you wanted to get to different Mac desktop, you would press Control + 2, 3, or 4. You'd see a clean Mac desktop with each of those keystrokes.
- If the Spaces icon is on the Dock, click it. Otherwise, open the Applications folder and double-click the icon there. A grid appears showing your desktops (FIGURE 4.10). You'll see the full-screen Windows desktop in the upper left quadrant. If any applications were active on the other desktops, you'd seem them as well. Because no applications are running, though, the other quadrants appear empty in this view.
Figure 4.10 Spaces shows four virtual desktops, with the full-screen Windows VM running in Desktop 1.
- Click the image of the Windows desktop to return there.
- If you wanted to switch back to a Mac desktop, you would hold down Control and press 2, 3, or 4. Or you could click the Spaces icon to return to the grid, and then click any of the blank squares to return to a Mac desktop.
Whoa! This is what Apple's switch to Intel processors was all about!
Coherence Mode
Parallels' Coherence mode allows you to run Mac and Windows programs side-by-side on the Mac desktop. For example, you might have Microsoft Word 2007 running alongside Safari for Mac. You could drag a link or an image from a Web page on Safari and drop it into a document you're crafting in Office 2007. Or, you can go the other way, dragging an image from Internet Explorer 7 into Photoshop on the Mac for editing.
To activate Coherence:
In Windowed mode, click the Coherence button on the right side of the Parallels window.
or
From the Parallels menu bar, choose View > Coherence.
- In Full-Screen mode, click Shift + Option + Enter.
The Windows desktop slides away, leaving the taskbar above the Dock (FIGURE 4.11). If you have any applications running, they are displayed as free-floating, open applications on the Mac desktop.
Figure 4.11 Coherence runs Windows applications on the Mac desktop, almost as though they were Mac apps.
You can also use these free-floating Windows applications with Spaces enabled. In other words, you can move individual Windows apps onto different virtual Mac desktops, just as you can with different Mac programs. For example, you could put Internet Explorer on one virtual desktop, while Microsoft Word is moved to yet another.
- In Coherence mode, with at least one open Windows program, launch the Spaces grid by clicking the Spaces icon in the Dock, or double-clicking it in the Applications folder.
- Drag the image of a running Windows application from one square of the grid to another (FIGURE 4.12).
Figure 4.12 Moving an application from one desktop to another is as simple as dragging it across the Spaces grid.
- Click the square representing the desktop into which you just dropped the Windows application. The display switches to that desktop.
Now that you're familiar with the basics of running Windows in Parallels, let's move on to some of Parallels' more advanced features.
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