Parallels just updated Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac to make it simple to download and automatically install Windows 8 Release Preview from the Parallels New Virtual Machine Wizard. Parallels offers a safe and easy way to test out the latest iteration of Windows 8 on a virtual machine, letting users check out the new Metro Tile Start Screen and Internet Explorer 10 while protecting their Mac from any bugs that can occur with non-final versions of software.
Parallels Desktop for Mac, the No. 1-selling software for running Windows and Mac applications side-by-side on a Mac without rebooting, enables software, mobile and Web developers to safely and simultaneously test a variety of operating systems as guests, as well as develop and test applications on them without risking their development machines. Examples include:
• Mountain Lion Developer Preview
• Windows 7
• Windows 8 Release Preview
• OS X Lion as a guest
• Google Chrome OS
• Fedora
• Ubuntu
Current Parallels Desktop 7 users can get the update by selecting the Parallels Desktop menu and clicking Check for Updates.
A free trial of Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac is available for download here.
Experimental support for release preview. Sounds like a must-have.
“while protecting their Mac from any bugs that can occur with non-final versions of software”
Or every version of Windows.
Exactly…!
I use McAfee on my windows side in parallels.
I wish Parallels was in the App Store!
Can’t. Violates the sandbox rules required for App Store inclusion. Of course, it has to in order to operate so who cares.
Actually Parallels has been able to support Windows 8 preview for about a couple of months now. The latest update to Wondows 8 does improve on it’s working and use of the Magic Trackpad is supported. Win 8 is faster, although not loaded down with a bunch of software yet, and it is interesting. I tend to concur though with MacWorld’s review and nother reviewer that although interesting trying to merge both a desk top PC operating system and a tablet is going to have issues. People will be confused going back and forth from the Win 7 or system desktop and Metro. Settings are a disaster and spread out over several screens or areas. Gahhh!
Aside from the crap that is Windows, does this update do anything for users who don’t necessarily care about Windows itself?
What I mean to say is this… I bought Parallels when I got my MacBook Pro in January, with Windows 7 Prodessional, and aside from checking that it works, and showing people that a Mac can run Windows, I haven’t launched it. Not once.
So basically, I don’t care about having the latest version of Windows, but will this make Parallels run better with the version of Windows that I have?
Who knows… I may launch it one day! LMAO!!!
Yea. They changed the link in the Parallels main screen. Otherwise Parallels 7 could always run Windows 8 Pre-release.
(If you don’t have Parallels, their home screen has several choices, one of which is to install Windows 8 Preview Release. Previously it was Windows 8 Consumer Release so no biggy).
What’s interesting is that the home screen also includes Install OS X Lion from Recovery Partition. The fact is that it’s against the license to install OS X Lion in a virtual machine if you have a pre-installed version of OS X Lion. (It’s OK if you purchase the upgrade version from the App Store.)
Parallels doesn’t follow this license restriction (thank!). Funnily, VMWare Fusion does – it has no method for doing this.
For some special software I still need Parallels. But why should I run Windows 8 at all? The best and most logical version of Windows was XP, let’s say: the least illogical version, the least cluttered, the least buggy, etc. So I run XP, especially as this version takes not too much resources unlike Vista and 7.
” But why should I run Windows 8 at all?”
You actually need to run this POS to understand, or at least to come to a modicum of understanding, just how formidably horrific it is. You’ll be howling in pain within moments. It’s like watching Plan 9, or The Room- hideous, yet harmless, agony.