Parallels announces Desktop 5 for Mac

 

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Posted on 4 Nov 2009 at 10:24

Parallels has announced the availability Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac, the latest version of its virtualisation application.

Desktop 5 has more than 70 new features according to the company, including a new Crystal mode which removes all traces of the Windows environments from the host Mac. Also new is Mac Look, which takes Crystal mode further by altering the application windows in Windows applications to make them look like Mac applications, including the red, amber and green buttons in the top left of the window.

“As the OS battles rage between Microsoft, Apple and Linux, we provide a completely customisable solution that enables people to use the applications they need with the fastest performance available, regardless of the operating system,” said Serguei Beloussov, chief executive of Parallels. “Parallels continues to build on its proven track record of innovation, responding to our customers by providing the fastest, smartest and most powerful Windows-on-Mac experience available.”

Parallels claims that Desktop 5 for Mac is up to 300% faster than version 4, and its tests using the 3Dmark 2006 graphics test suite showed it to be seven times faster for graphics performance than version 4. The company also says that research carried out by Crimson Consulting shoed Desktop 5 to be “22% faster than the nearest Windows-on-Mac competitor in standard productivity testing of Windows 7 64-bit on a MacBook Pro.”

New features in Parallels desktop 5 include; support fro trackpad gestures such as pinch, swipe, and rotate; the optimisation of virtual machine size for best performance, using Parallels Compressor, and support for 8 virtual CPUs with support for 64-bit Windows and Snow Leopard Server 64 bit.

Parallels desktop 5 is available now for £59.99, and includes; one-year subscription to Parallels Internet Security 2009 by Kaspersky; Acronis Disk Director; and Acronis True Image Home. An upgrade version is available for £34.99.

Author: Kenny Hemphill