Parallels has just introduced Parallels Access for iPad which “applifies” Mac applications and Windows programs, letting customers remotely access and experience them as if they were made for iPad. Now users can enjoy native iPad gestures even in applications not optimized for iPad. With Parallels Access, just tap right to what you need to get done, in any Windows or Mac application.
With more and more people using iPads on-the-go, Parallels Access lets users get more done easily, work or play – even with low-bandwidth connections. Developed by the makers of Parallels Desktop for Mac, Parallels Access is now available for the iPad with full support for Macs, and Windows support is available as a free beta. Support of devices in addition to the iPad is in development.
“We are now in an always-on age where people are increasingly demanding access to their applications and data regardless of physical location,” said Birger Steen, CEO of Parallels, in a statement. “With Parallels Access, you can tap, swipe and pinch your way around Mac and Windows applications to ultimately be more productive at work, and lead a more connected life.”
A recently released report by analyst firm Enterprise Management Associates that looked at enterprise adoption of PC and mobile devices found that the majority of business users are supplementing their desktop computers with at least one mobile device. With Parallels Access, anyone can increase productivity by enjoying a seamless and integrated experience and accessing computers and desktop applications from anywhere. Additionally, customers are able to access not just their professional business applications but also their games and entertainment – including streaming video – from their Mac or PC directly on their revolutionary Apple iPad and iPad mini.
“With the rapid adoption of iPad devices both by business users and consumers, the market potential for Parallels Access is huge,” said Laura DiDio, Principal, Information Technology Intelligence Consulting, in the press release. “The app is unique in that it customizes and optimizes – or ‘applifies,’ a term Parallels coined – all of your desktop applications by enabling native tap and swipe-type gestures that will be an innovative intuitive experience for iPad users. It’s going to disrupt the market, not the user.”
Key features and capabilities of Parallels Access include:
• App Launcher: Start any desktop application, Windows or Mac, as if it were made for an iPad
• App Switcher: Switch between desktop applications with ease, literally going from app-to-app in a tap
• iPad native select and drag: Select words and graphics with one finger, on Mac or Windows applications, then drag, drop and go
• iPad native copy and paste: Select and copy from your desktop and paste it anywhere – between iPad apps, or even from desktop to desktop
• SmartTap and magnifying glass: Tap with precision inside your desktop applications, so you never miss a thing
• iPad native scroll for desktop applications: It’s scrolling that just works
• Desktop keyboard on iPad: Shows up just when you need it, contains Windows and Command keys too
• Full screen for desktop applications: Maximize your screen real estate on the iPad, use every inch of your Retina® display
• Unmatched access: Even with low bandwidth, Parallels Access makes it work
Parallels Access for iPad is initially available for purchase on the App Store as an annual subscription at $79.99 for each computer being accessed. Each Mac or PC being accessed needs its own subscription. The Mac Agent is available immediately with a 14-day free trial, and the PC Agent is currently in beta and is available at no charge during the beta period. Parallels Access hardware requirements include an iPad 2, iPad 3 or iPad mini and a Mac running OS X (Lion 10.7 or higher) or a PC running Windows 7 or Windows 8. If a Mac user also runs Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac, then Parallels Access will also “applify” all of its Windows virtual machines and apps so they also work like they were made for iPad.
Source: Parallels
I am sure, the tool is great, however what I hate is the fact, that they all now go the Adobe-way selling subscriptions only. An annual subscription at $79.99 for each computer being accessed is just ridiculous. Well, screw you!
Exactly. I’m over the subscription model, its a joke. I have parallels 8 and will stick with that until Apple release a version of osx that doesn’t support it. When that happens I’ll find replacements for the few apps I need windows for and ditch windows completely.
Its little more than a glorified VNC viewer.
For a one time fee of less than ten bucks I get a perpetual license to VNC Viewer. Eighty bucks a year for a few extra features, no thanks!
Smells like Adobe, and by that I mean smells like cr@p
It’s a tool. It you need it, you’re probably willing to pay for it.
Any product marketed for subscription-only should be exceptionally fantastic.
Also, what keeps Parallells from jacking up the price on the second and subsequent years? Subscriptions make you a potential victim of techo-extortion.
I’m certainly glad I don’t need to pay a subscription fee for the Snap-On toolset in my garage. It will last me a lifetime and I can pass in on or sell it, if I no longer need it.
Bizarre responses here. Aren’t most commenters either Mac or iOs users? If so, don’t we believe in paying a bit more for quality and ease of use?
Where did all these “There’s a cheap/free option that is clunky and hard to use, so it’s crazy to pay anything!” people come from?
Absolutely not bizarre. I assume everybody here is willing to pay a fair price, but no overprice.
I can hear Steve Ballmer screaming all the way over here in NJ. Do you think this will slow down anyone else from buying more Windows 8 PC boxes? The Microsoft Surface crap tablet was in the grave. Now it has a iTombstone with iRoadKill R.I.P.
Subscription Software is a non-starter.
Nice idea, shitty marketing execution with a price that is too high and is essentially rental.
Looks like Parallels is consulting with Ballmer, or maybe that is where he is going to work after Microsoft. Who are they kidding. $80 annually is absurd !!!! They will never get my money at that price or on a subscription either. If they keep headed in the direction they are going, it is back to Fusion for me.
Before I install the app, I’ll set the system time clock to 2073. After it’s installed I’ll set it back to normal time. This way I should get 60 years of subscription free service from the app.
I’m pretty sure part of the service being offered is DNS routing so when you connect to your desktop over mobile data it connects to parallels servers which will route to your home ip. At least I assume this happens, not worth $80/yr but at least ist something. So you can set you date to 2000013 and it won’t make a difference
You might actually find the subscription model has benefits. Instead of a developer having to focus on flashy features to drive sales and stay in business, he can focus on evolving his software incrementally. You might just end up with software that is more refined and less bloated with features you don’t need.
People who can do commercial quality software development are highly skilled and therefore not cheap. If you want them to work for you, then you have to be willing to pay them one way or another. Most of us who can do that don’t give our labor away for free just like you don’t give your anyway. If you refuse to pay for them to write desktop software utilities out of some sanctimonious reaction against subscriptions then they will go work on things for which they can maximize their wages…and you won’t have software to use as a result. Choose wisely.
if this works well, it would be very cool. Wonder if it does Flash? 😉
Does Parallels Access require a static IP address?
“It’s going to disrupt the market, not the user.”
It’s not going to disrupt anything at $80 a year, lol!
As interesting as this is, there’s already free viable alternatives in Apple’s app store. Parallels Access, I’m sure, has a better user interface compared to these free versions. But $80 for a year put this product in the coffin for me.
People like owning their apps, not renting them.
Color me excited. Parallels does an outstanding job – it laps VMware Fusion, which I had used for several years. I have to use stupid Windows, and Parallels makes it much easier.
I’m planning a vacation to Hawaii next year, and want to travel with only my iPad. I LOVE my MacBook Pro, but don’t want the weight. I’ve tried several VNC apps, but each has bugs, such as not being able even log into stupid Windows remotely from my iPad. I would love to be able to have my Mac sleeping at home while I am away, and be awakened remotely to launch apps such as Parallels Desktop if a work emergency arises.
Yeah, I know. Subscriptions can suck. But they aren’t going away, sad to say. My own company offers our software to corporate clients by subscription, and business-wise, it’s a successful model. After months of squawking, my wife and I recently went to the Dark Side and signed up for Adobe CC. Yes, they had our house surrounded and were yelling at us with bullhorns and shining floodlights on our house (not to mention having helicopter gunships circling overhead). But my wife, who has had many fights with Adobe even admitted in a whisper, “I hate to say it, but they did a good job.”
One huge advantage of a cloud-based ASP or similar system such as CC or Parallels Access is that the hosting company can push bug fixes and other updates quietly in the background. That can make software much more reliable. And if you are a developer, you’re worried about people ripping you off – it can cost a bundle, even your very profitability. So I can see both sides of the subscription argument.
For me, this is something I can use now. I will definitely explore this, and hope that Parallels has nailed VNC, making it practical, easy to use and reliable. If so, I’ll bite my tongue and open my wallet. I am happy to pay for software, be it in a one-time purchase or by subscription, if the value is truly there. For me, this would be a business purchase, and I can write that off. If you can, it should be less of an issue.
I will now sit back and let you throw up on me in response. Have fun hurling chunks. Thank you.
One more thing: There is a free 14-day trial.
A quick look at the App in the iPad App Store shows a lot of 5-star user reviews already. It’s a version 1.0 for all that infers, but it’s apparently off to a promising start.
I use iTeleport. It was the most expensive iOS app I’ve purchased to date at $24.99 I think, but it was my excuse for my first iPad. It works on both iPhone and iPad and the software for the Mac or PC is free. I can access and use my iMac or MacBook Pro from anywhere reliably and efficiently, and it works on all apps of course, both OSX and my apps running on parallels. Let’s see: $24.99 one-time price vs. $80 annual subscription? No thanks, I’m good.
Splashtop Streamer. Does nearly the same thing and is waaaaayyyy cheaper. JMO.
This is the second app of this type from parallels. The first came out with version 6 I think. However, no one seems to remember that, and it seems to disappeared from the App Store.
80 effing bucks a month, are they nuts? That is absurd