Parallels Desktop 4.0 Switch to Mac Edition London
If you've been enticed by the world of Mac, but still need to run your PC business applications, Parallels has the answer. We review Parallels Desktop 4.0 Switch to Mac Edition.
Data Provided by:
Provided By:
Parallels Desktop 4.0 Switch to Mac Edition
Parallels Desktop is a virtualisation program that enables owners of Macs with Intel processors to run Windows and Windows programs (as well as other operating systems such as Linux) simultaneously alongside their Mac applications. This is more convenient than Apple’s free Boot Camp utility where Windows can only be run separately once the computer has been restarted.
Several new extras are included alongside the Parallels Deskop program in the Switch to Mac edition. A series of interactive video tutorials teaches the basics of using the Mac OS, such as deleting files or checking email. To be frank, it’s aimed at complete novices, so it’ll be of little use to more confident or experienced computer users.
A more useful extra is the USB transfer cable. This connects your Mac and PC together so the included Parallels Transporter utility can copy the contents of your PC’s hard disk, including Windows, your applications and documents, to a file on your Mac’s hard disk. It can then be run as a virtual computer by Parallels Desktop, without having to reinstall Windows and transfer over all your content separately. It’s a more convenient and less complicated alternative to using an external hard disk or network connection to transfer your files. It worked flawlessly with our Windows 7 Samsung netbook, but couldn’t transfer the contents of our Vista Lenovo laptop.
Windows and most applications, such as Microsoft Outlook and Excel, worked well and felt responsive within Parallels Desktop. Some tasks still feel a little slower than they do on a real PC though, such as launching applications or rendering web pages. Parallels’ settings enable you to tweak its performance, such as allocating the virtualised operating system more memory or more processor priority. Parallels can be set to use a MacOS VPN or you can run a Windows VPN, but the instructions provided on Parallels’ website for doing either are confusing for novice users.
By default, Windows runs inside its own window on your Mac desktop. It can also occupy the entire screen or run in Coherence mode where the Windows desktop disappears and Windows programs run alongside Mac programs on your Mac desktop. The Start Menu appears in the Dock, while System Tray icons appear in the MacOS menu bar. It works fairly well, but Windows applications can’t be moved to a second display. They do work with the Mac OS’ Expose and Spaces windows management features, but sometimes suffer from graphical glitches.
Integration between Windows and the Mac OS works well, but there’s room for improvement. When a USB device is connected, Parallels asks which operating system you’d like to use it with. DVD drives can be tied to one OS or the other, while Windows hard disks and folders appear on the Mac desktop and vice-versa, so files can be shared easily. Oddly, only plain text can be copied and pasted between operating systems – images aren’t copied and styled text loses its formatting. Windows 7 support is present but is considered ‘experimental’. We weren’t able to complete certain tasks with Windows 7 that we could with Vista, such as printing.
Parallels Desktop 4.0 Switch to Mac Edition is a useful bundle of software and hardware for inexperienced users switching to the Mac. More experienced users can save £20 by opting for the standard version which lacks the USB transfer cable and video tutorials. As a virtualisation program, it still has several rough edges even after four major versions which is disappointing.
A cheaper alternative is Virtual Box which has fewer features and has no formal support, but it is free.
Several new extras are included alongside the Parallels Deskop program in the Switch to Mac edition. A series of interactive video tutorials teaches the basics of using the Mac OS, such as deleting files or checking email. To be frank, it’s aimed at complete novices, so it’ll be of little use to more confident or experienced computer users.
A more useful extra is the USB transfer cable. This connects your Mac and PC together so the included Parallels Transporter utility can copy the contents of your PC’s hard disk, including Windows, your applications and documents, to a file on your Mac’s hard disk. It can then be run as a virtual computer by Parallels Desktop, without having to reinstall Windows and transfer over all your content separately. It’s a more convenient and less complicated alternative to using an external hard disk or network connection to transfer your files. It worked flawlessly with our Windows 7 Samsung netbook, but couldn’t transfer the contents of our Vista Lenovo laptop.
Windows and most applications, such as Microsoft Outlook and Excel, worked well and felt responsive within Parallels Desktop. Some tasks still feel a little slower than they do on a real PC though, such as launching applications or rendering web pages. Parallels’ settings enable you to tweak its performance, such as allocating the virtualised operating system more memory or more processor priority. Parallels can be set to use a MacOS VPN or you can run a Windows VPN, but the instructions provided on Parallels’ website for doing either are confusing for novice users.
By default, Windows runs inside its own window on your Mac desktop. It can also occupy the entire screen or run in Coherence mode where the Windows desktop disappears and Windows programs run alongside Mac programs on your Mac desktop. The Start Menu appears in the Dock, while System Tray icons appear in the MacOS menu bar. It works fairly well, but Windows applications can’t be moved to a second display. They do work with the Mac OS’ Expose and Spaces windows management features, but sometimes suffer from graphical glitches.
Integration between Windows and the Mac OS works well, but there’s room for improvement. When a USB device is connected, Parallels asks which operating system you’d like to use it with. DVD drives can be tied to one OS or the other, while Windows hard disks and folders appear on the Mac desktop and vice-versa, so files can be shared easily. Oddly, only plain text can be copied and pasted between operating systems – images aren’t copied and styled text loses its formatting. Windows 7 support is present but is considered ‘experimental’. We weren’t able to complete certain tasks with Windows 7 that we could with Vista, such as printing.
Parallels Desktop 4.0 Switch to Mac Edition is a useful bundle of software and hardware for inexperienced users switching to the Mac. More experienced users can save £20 by opting for the standard version which lacks the USB transfer cable and video tutorials. As a virtualisation program, it still has several rough edges even after four major versions which is disappointing.
A cheaper alternative is Virtual Box which has fewer features and has no formal support, but it is free.
Author: Alan Lu