Parallels today announced the Sept. 14th availability of Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac with more than 80 new and enhanced features. Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac is pegged to deliver advances in productivity, performance and graphics.

In addition, sources say, that Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac will include Parallels Mobile at no extra cost which will allow users to access Windows applications on their Macs from their iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.

In product benchmark testing, results show Parallels Desktop 6 remains atop the performance rankings that people consider most important. 3D graphics run nearly 40 percent better than before. Boot time for Windows is 41 percent faster than before. Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac also boosts speed for working with files on USB drives, networks and in shared folders.

Parallels also announced the availability of Parallels Desktop 6 Switch to Mac Edition, which includes Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac plus new features specifically designed to make the move from PC to Mac smart and simple.

“The Mac is more popular than ever, with millions of people moving to the Mac from Windows,” said Ron Okamoto, Apple’s Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations, in the press release. “Parallels does a great job of making it even easier for people to switch to the Mac and allowing them to run Windows applications if they need to, side-by-side with their Mac applications and without rebooting.”

The Switch to Mac Edition provides a complete set of switching tools and includes a Parallels High-Speed USB data transfer cable. All of your programs, files, user settings and now even your browser favorites and bookmarks are automatically moved to your Mac. With one click, new pre-defined user profiles let you simply choose as little or as much Windows as you want. New on-demand interactive video tutorials make switching to the Mac easy.

More than 80 new and improved features of the Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac experience include:
  - Launch Time: Run Windows applications 41 percent faster than Parallels Desktop 5
  - Full 64-bit Engine: Take advantage of all of the capabilities of your 64-bit Mac and enjoy the fastest virtual machine performance yet
  - 5.1 Surround Sound: Savor rich, immersive audio experiences for games, music and videos
  - Enhanced 3D Graphics: Enjoy more life-like visual action and play a wider range of modern games with 40 percent improvement over Parallels Desktop 5
  - Parental Control: Have peace of mind when children are online by applying the same parental controls you set for your Mac to your Windows applications
  - VM Encryption: Protect data from being stolen by using built in virtual machine encryption
  - Mac Shortcuts: Use Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts to make Windows applications work the way you do
  - Personal Data Migration: Simplifies moving to Mac by automatically moving programs, data and media (i.e. My Documents, My Pictures, My Videos and My Downloads) to the appropriate folders on your Mac
  - Web Browser Favorites: Parallels automatically moves your Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome settings and bookmarks from your PC to the default browser on your Mac
  - Anti-virus Protection: Data protection with Parallels SmartGuard & SafeMode plus leading anti-virus protection for both Mac OS X and Windows with complimentary
  - Kaspersky Internet Security 2011, Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac, Acronis True Image Home 2010 and Acronis Disk Director 2011 Home

Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac will be available for download, as well as packaged software for delivery, from Parallels.com starting on Sept. 14. Packaged software will also be available at Apple retail stores and Apple.com, Amazon.com, Fry’s Electronics, MicroCenter and hundreds of other retail locations nationwide on Sept. 14.

The standard retail price (SRP) of Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac is $79.99 and a student edition is available for $39.99. Parallels Desktop 6 Switch to Mac Edition is $99.99. Upgrades at $49.99 are available now for existing Parallels Desktop for Mac customers.

Customers who purchased Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac from an authorized reseller on or after August 15th, 2010, are eligible to upgrade to Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac at no additional cost, when it becomes available.

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Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac will be available in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish starting Sept. 14. Additional localized versions will be available in Japanese, Russian, simplified and traditional Chinese, Czech and Polish in the coming weeks. Volume pricing and site-license opportunities are also available.

A free trial of Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac will be available along with in-depth information, videos and screenshots of the new features starting on Sept. 14.