Menu
Parallels today announced a series of individual 'Toolbox Packs' that aim to help users cut down the time-consuming tasks on their Mac or PC, including a Presentation Pack, a Screen and Video Pack, and a Disk and System Pack. Parallels president Jack Zubarev explained that each pack features a 'comprehensive suite of single-purpose tools' that will help simplify workflows.
In an effort to keep Macs running efficiently, the System and Disk Pack provides the 'Clean Drive' ability to easily scan files and delete duplicates, discover the largest files, remove temporary OS and application files, and more. Parallels said this tool periodically reminds users to run it so that they can keep their computer's performance up-to-speed. There's also a 'Free Memory' toolbar add-on to easily check to see how much RAM is available.
Parallels previously launched Parallels Toolbox 2.5 in February, which introduced many of these features in a drop-down toolbar screen at an overall price of $19.99 per year. Because some users pointed out that they don't need all of these features under one higher price tag, Parallels responded with today's announcement of individual, 'cost-effective' Toolbox Packs, which will see new features added to each pack in the coming months.
Outside of these packs, Parallels' software allows users to run Windows on a Mac without needing to reboot. You can find more information on the Toolbox Packs and the main features of Parallels on the company's website.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Parallels. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.![Much Much](/uploads/1/3/3/8/133868535/203650944.jpg)
Virtualization software $0-80 I've been testing VMWare Fusion and Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac. Parallels desktop 12 for mac oem. A full license for either one costs $80. A full license for either one costs $80. Parallels desktop for mac logo. Parallels ntfs for mac. Parallels, on the other hand, charges you $79.99 ($49.99 for upgrade) for its Mac virtualization product. In both cases, that also excludes the price of a Windows 7 license, which you'll need!
For example, in the Presentation Pack there's a one-click 'Presentation Mode' that hides desktop files, blocks email and message notifications, prevents sleep mode, and automatically adjusts resolution for external displays. The Screen and Video Pack includes screenshot capturing tools and a 'Record Screen' feature so that users can quickly record their entire screen -- or just a specified area -- and then convert the video, download it, or create a GIF. In an effort to keep Macs running efficiently, the System and Disk Pack provides the 'Clean Drive' ability to easily scan files and delete duplicates, discover the largest files, remove temporary OS and application files, and more. Parallels said this tool periodically reminds users to run it so that they can keep their computer's performance up-to-speed. There's also a 'Free Memory' toolbar add-on to easily check to see how much RAM is available.
“People waste too much time searching for solutions to common tasks on their computers that should be able to be accomplished with one click,” said Jack Zubarev, Parallels president.Those interested can check out free trials of each Toolbox Pack on Parallels' website, and the company sells each individual Pack for an annual subscription price of $9.99 per year. Customers can also opt to get the full suite of new Parallels Toolbox Packs for $19.99 per year.
“That’s why our time-saving Parallels Toolbox for Windows and Mac software – which features a comprehensive suite of simple single-purpose tools, with new tools added every few months – is so loved by our customers. Now, people whose computing tasks involve presentations, screen and video work, or disk and system optimization, can get Parallels Toolbox Packs, which each feature a collection of one-click tools tailored for their needs.”
Parallels previously launched Parallels Toolbox 2.5 in February, which introduced many of these features in a drop-down toolbar screen at an overall price of $19.99 per year. Because some users pointed out that they don't need all of these features under one higher price tag, Parallels responded with today's announcement of individual, 'cost-effective' Toolbox Packs, which will see new features added to each pack in the coming months.
Outside of these packs, Parallels' software allows users to run Windows on a Mac without needing to reboot. You can find more information on the Toolbox Packs and the main features of Parallels on the company's website.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Parallels. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
![Much Much](/uploads/1/3/3/8/133868535/203650944.jpg)
Tag: Parallels
Guides
Upcoming
Front Page Stories
What to Expect at Apple's September 2019 Event: New iPhones, Apple Watch Models, Services Updates and More
Apple to Live Stream September 10 Event on YouTube
11 hours ago on Front PageU.S. Government Orders Apple and Google to Identify Users of a Gun Scope App
13 hours ago on Front PageFifth Avenue Glass Cube Gets Temporary Rainbow Look to Celebrate Reopening
13 hours ago on Front PageApple Disputes Some Details of Google's Project Zero Report on iOS Security Vulnerabilities [Updated]
15 hours ago on Front PageKuo: 'Apple Tags' to Feature Ultra-Wideband Technology, Likely Far More Precise Than Tile's Trackers
17 hours ago on Front PageApple Working on Siri Feature Allowing Back-and-Forth Conversations About Health Problems
19 hours ago on Front PageJoseph Gordon-Levitt Developing 'Mr. Corman' TV Show for Apple
1 day ago on Front Page
• Apple Launches Apple Music on the Web Beta(157)
• Private Messaging Apps 'Scrambling' to Overhaul Software Following Apple Privacy Changes(123)
• Samsung Cancels Galaxy Fold Pre-Orders in the U.S., Offers $250 Credit as Compensation(144)
• Apple is 'Watching Cryptocurrency' and Wants to Do More With Tipping and Mobile IDs(60)
• Sonos Unveils Its First Portable Bluetooth Speaker, Supports AirPlay 2(84)
• Bloomberg: Apple Planning iPhone With Both Face ID and Touch ID Under Display by 2021(190)
• Samsung Reveals New Launch Dates for Delayed Galaxy Fold(148)
Editors' note, October 30, 2014: This review has been updated with new features added after the release of the Windows 10 technical preview.
Parallels Desktop for Mac has been letting people run Windows and other operating systems on their Macs for years. And with every major update, Parallels has added yet another feature that makes switching between your regular operating system and virtual machines even more seamless.
There are other apps that do virtualization, such as $60 VMWare fusion (also available for £36, or AU$64) or Virtual Box (free). These will both let you run Windows on your Mac (as long as you own a copy) and might be good enough for your purposes.
But what makes Parallels Desktop 10 for Mac special, is the way it incorporates Mac OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 features. Some of the new features give you more interactivity between operating systems, letting you place Windows apps on the Mac Launchpad or Dock, for example, and even as far as letting you use new features in Mac OS X Yosemite straight out of a Windows environment.
What is Parallels for?
Parallels Desktop ($80, £50, or AU$86) is a virtualization system for running other operating systems on your Mac. Parallels desktop for mac 8. As an example, this would be useful if you use Windows at work, but have a Mac laptop at home because it means you can run all the Windows specific tools from work on the Mac without having to buy a separate computer.
Virtualization is used by software developers as well, because it allows them to run an operating system that has no ties to the computer it's on. This way, even if a virtual system gets a virus, it can only infect that enclosed system, leaving the host computer virus free. From there all they need to do is shut down and restart from an earlier healthy snapshot of the virtual system to start again fresh.
Parallels For Mac Reviews
Parallels is also useful for people who play video games because it lets them pick from the much larger library of Windows titles and play them on a Mac. In this particular case, your mileage may vary because your Mac may not have the video processing power of high-end video cards.
If you're going to use Parallels with one of the free operating systems offered in the app (more on this later), you'll only need to spend the $80 for Parallels. But be warned, that in order to use this software with Windows as I did in this demo, you're going to be spending $80 for Parallels, plus the price of Windows 8.1 (currently available for about $120, £70, or AU$130). While it is not cheap, if you identify with one of the use cases above, it's worth the money.
Installing an operating system
To get Parallels up and running, you're going to need to have the full version of another operating system on hand. From the Parallels launcher, you can download free operating systems including Chrome OS, Ubuntu Linux, Android OS, or even another version of Mac OS X using your Mac's recovery partition.
Past versions of Parallels had the option to purchase and install Windows 7 from within the software, so you could get started right away. Microsoft no longer has a deal with Parallels, but Parallels Desktop 10 enables you to download and install a 90-day trial of Windows. The wizard also lets you move a PC, including Windows and all of its applications and files to your Mac so you have everything you need on one computer
If you know you'll need to run Windows for the long term, the easiest option is a box copy of Windows 8 on a DVD. As long as you have an internal or external DVD drive, you can select it from the Parallels Launch Center, and start installing straight away. In the latest version of Parallels, you also can drag and drop a .ISO file straight into the interface to start the installation.
If you downloaded Windows from Microsoft hoping (like I did) to just select the installer executable, you're going to have a tough time. Parallels requires either a DVD or image file (ISO), or you can use the Parallels Transporter Agent to migrate Windows from another PC.
To create an ISO file, you'll need to start the installation on another Windows PC, download all the data files, then select create as image, and choose either DVD or thumb drive. It took me some time to figure it all out, but I finally used a thumb drive to transfer the installer and get it running on my Mac. This is all just a precaution to make sure you don't make the same mistake I did and already have an ISO image or boxed version of Windows before you get started.
How Much Does Parallels For Mac Cost
While I think it's OK that Parallels has specific requirements for the installation file, it would be nice if the app took care of the conversion for you. Without knowing, it's pretty easy to buy and download an operating system in the standard way (resulting in an .exe file) that requires a lengthy process for conversion before it will work.