“If you’re a Mac user who needs quick and fast access to a Windows installation, then in many cases it’s a good idea to go with a Virtual Machine,” Jeff Benjamin writes for 9to5Mac. “Parallels is one of the most popular virtualization options for Mac users wishing to run Windows, and the latest version, Parallels 13 [$69.99 via Amazon], makes it ridiculously easy to get up and running.”
“Parallels 13 can have you up and running, from download to usage, in just a few minutes,” Benjamin writes. “There are free virtualization options available, but if you’re looking for sheer ease of use and dead-simple installation, Parallels 13 is hard to beat. You can go from not having Windows, to having a Windows 10 installation in just a few clicks.”
“Best of all,” Benjamin writes, “the majority of the install process is completely unattended, so you can just set it and forget it.”
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: If you have to run Windows apps on your Mac, Parallels Desktop 13 is what you want.
SEE ALSO:
GeekWire: Parallels Desktop 12 for Mac shows why a virtual machine matters – January 3, 2017
Macworld reviews Parallels Desktop 12: A nearly perfect blend of Windows and Mac – November 15, 2016
Mossberg on running Windows 10 on your Mac: New Parallels 12 does the job well – September 28, 2016
Windows and the words “with ease” should never be part of the same sentance.
Windows and the words “with ease” should NEVER be used.
I can’t use Parallels with SolidWorks because of license problems, so I use a Dell for that. Dell and Windows together remind me of horse and buggy buggy days.
The physical and software user interface of the Dell & Windows is just clunky after all these decades. The keyboard, as an example, just does not feel “normal.” E
ver try to execute the keyboard command for “Paste” in Windows? Your fingers almost have to be a contortionist. It is why I’ve seen people use the menu command rather than the keyboard strokes.
User experience counts. Fast, trouble free execution of work is more valuable than anything else I can see.
So much for a rant. Back to work.
I have the opposite..my software relies on on a MAC address. VMs are great for that. You can duplicate them. I took mine home so I have an identical work/Home setup.
Even Gates has realized that some of his interface designs weren’t so hot…
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/26/tech/innovation/bill-gates-control-alt-delete/
But blaming it on the keyboard designer as so Microsoftian!
“But blaming it on the keyboard designer as so Microsoftian!”
True. And still TRUE. Microsoft is responsible for its keyboard physical layout of those 4 little keys to the left of the spacebar and it is not “ergonomic” by the professional key pounder, Bo.
Bo, you could partition your HDD/SSD for a dual-boot setup with native Windows. No need for the Dell, unless you just like punishing yourself.
Windows is well behaved when trapped in a box.
Exactly….at where I work, we have VMWare if you’re a Mac user. Windows is much more smooth inside a Mac as compared to Windows in a Dell.
Indeed I agree, though I don’t have to use it much in Parallels.
If you are running VM Ware you ARE using a Dell.
Bertrand Serlet is onboard at Parallels. Dell owns VM Ware.
Should not be a hard choice.
Buyer Beware… my experience with Parallels is such that once you upgrade your MacOS (which many of us do annually), your Parallels Windows installation will become inoperable until you also upgrade Parallels (via buying the new version at generally about $49.99).
So if you’re also the type of user who regularly updates MacOS, then you should know Parallels basically becomes a subscription model (at about $49.99 – upgrade price) per year to continue using the software, and retain access to your Windows software/files.