Archive for Parallels Desktop

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Review: Parallels Desktop 7

Posted in Products with tags on October 15, 2011 by itnerd

Frequent readers of this blog know that my choice in terms of visualization products is Parallels Desktop. The software tends to work well and I will be the first to admit that. But I will also be the first to admit that I’ve had problems with them when trying to buy their products using PayPal that clearly haven’t been addressed. Ignoring the latter, the question is, what’s better and what’s worse with the new version of Parallels Desktop?

First it’s faster that Parallels Desktop 6. It’s a difference that you can feel when you boot and when you push a VM. Second, the virtual machines can now use your iSight camera. Nice touch. Third, Parallels Desktop 7 fully leverages Launch Pad, and Mission Control while running Windows apps if you’re running OS X Lion. Another nice touch. Want to run Windows 7, but you don’t own a copy? No problem. You can buy a Windows 7 license and install it into a new VM. Enhancing a feature from Parallels Desktop 6, there’s the ability to run your VMs remotely using a iDevice via their mobile app. The app to do so is in the App Store for $4.99.

Parallels Desktop 7 supports 3D graphics using DirectX9.0c/9Ex and Shader Model 3. It also allows you to add 1GB of video RAM. it also supports 7.1 surround sound. That should mean that this will be great for gamers, right? Not so fast. It doesn’t support DirectX 10, thus some games won’t run. The bottom line, hardcore gamers may have to resort to BootCamp for gaming, Still, it’s worth trying it to see if your game of choice will run.

Parallels desktop supports a ton of OS installations including the preview version of Windows 8 and OS X LIon. Installation of any OS is dead easy which is a hallmark of Parallels Desktop. One thing that I noticed for the first time is that while the iSight is supported and the USB support is as solid as ever, how about the Firewire port on my Mac? Parallels has never seen that and that would be a nice feature to have.

So, the question is do I like it? Yes. But it is more of an evolutionary release rather than a revolutionary release. There’s really nothing here that make existing users rush out and buy this. However, users that are new to Parallels Desktop will like this release. Download a 30 day trial and see if it fits your needs. Just don’t pay with PayPal.

Leave a comment »

It’s Happening Again…. I Can’t Buy Parallels Desktop Using Paypal [UPDATED]

Posted in Commentary with tags , on October 13, 2011 by itnerd

I don’t get it. After my last rants about not being able to buy Parallels Desktop using PayPal, you’d think that Parallels would make sure that their launch of Parallels Desktop would include a check to see that purchasing via PayPal works. I suspect that they didn’t and as a result I’m running into exactly the same issue as I did the last time.

Now, the fact that I have to write about this again is really sad. Given the recent results of terms that are used in search engines that refer traffic to my blog, I’d say that others are having the same issue. I really want Parallels to explain and fix their issues with PayPal. That would show that Parallels really cares about their customers.

Honestly, I don’t want to write about this a third time.

UPDATE: I got an e-mail from someone who had has a similar problem. Here’s what they said:

“I came across your posts via Google after running into the same problems that you did. I sent them a Tweet to their Twitter account looking for help and have received no feedback from them. This is pitiful customer service. I seriously doubt that I will buy another product from this company.”

Parallels clearly has an issue that they need to address. The question is, why won’t they? It’s clear that I’m not the only one out there who is having problems purchasing from them. But their silence shows that they aren’t interested in having happy customers.

1 Comment »

Parallels Desktop 6… After All The Pain, It’s A Worthy Upgrade

Posted in Products with tags on September 22, 2010 by itnerd

Despite my problems with getting Parallels Desktop 6, I’ve played with it for a few days and I’ve got some opinions. Parallels claims that there are “over 80 new features” in this version. I’ll take their word for it. I think the ones that people will care about are these ones:

  • An all-new 64-bit engine
  • 5.1 Surround Sound support
  • Improved network, hard drive and Transporter performance
  • Windows program Spotlight integration
  • Faster Windows launch time
  • Enhanced 3D graphics that are 40% better than previous versions

Let’s face it. When it comes to the top item on that list, Parallels is a bit late to the party when it comes to 64-bit support. VMWare did that almost a year ago. Having said that I can say that Windows virtual machines start up faster. Things inside my virtual machines seemed significantly snappier as well. So I guess that the 64-bit support does make a difference. Something that I did notice is that you can now print straight from the virtual machine without having to set up a printer first, just like in Microsoft RDP. That’s another welcome feature.

Something that is worth mentioning is that if you have a shiny iDevice such as an iPad, an iPhone, or iPod Touch, Parallels has a free Mobile App that allows you to to take control of your Parallels Desktop for Mac virtual machines using the iDevice of your choice. You can remotely start, stop, and reset virtual machines from afar. Since I don’t have a shiny iDevice, I couldn’t try this. But it sounds interesting.

All my usual tests like trying out games to using my MobiKEY produced no surprises. That’s a good thing.

So what’s the bottom line? If you’ve got Parallels Desktop 5, it’s worth upgrading. If you are looking for a product to run Windows on your Mac, check out the free trial of Parallels Desktop 6. I think you’ll find that it’s worth purchasing.

Leave a comment »

It Seems VMWare Can’t Do Any Better The Parallels…. Why Is It So Hard To Order By PayPal? [UPDATED x4]

Posted in Commentary with tags , , on September 18, 2010 by itnerd

You’ll recall that I tried to order the latest version of Parallels Desktop using PayPal and couldn’t. Then they canceled my order because I didn’t pay them. Not that they gave me the opportunity to. So last night I tried to order VMWare Fusion via PayPal. Guess what? Just like with Parallels they promised that I would get an e-mail confirming my order. But I didn’t.

I really don’t get why it is so hard to order something via PayPal with either VMWare or Parallels. In either case I go through the process to order and in both cases I get a message saying that I will get an e-mail confirming my order. The e-mail in either case never arrives. Given that I can order something from vendors like ThinkGeek and Skype, and the fact that I control the e-mail server that these e-mails would be going to (and there are zero issues there), that says to me that these VMWare and Parallels have issues with taking PayPal as payment. That’s very disappointing as PayPal is quite simply a safer way to pay for purchases on line. Given that the process to order from either company looks almost exactly the same, I suspect that they have the same company handling their respective online presences. I know for a fact that in the case of Parallels that’s Digital River. VMWare doesn’t make it clear who handles their online store, but I suspect they use them as well.

So here’s my challenge to both VMWare and Parallels. If you want my business, you need to explain to to me why something as simple as ordering using PayPal as my method of payment seems to be such a challenge. You also need to fix your processes so that customers can choose to pay you guys using whatever method of payment they choose. And finally, I’d actually like to be able to order and receive my product in a timely manner. The first one to the table, gets my business and a lot of praise in this blog for stepping up to the plate. By the way, in case you’re wondering why I’m making such a big deal about this, it’s simple. If you offer a payment method, it has to work or don’t bother offering it as an option.

The clock starts now.

UPDATE: A comment was left that seems to indicate that this is a PayPal problem. Assuming that is true, it would be helpful if either of these companies mans up to it rather than stay silent.

UPDATE #2: VMWare seems to want my business. They’ve jumped in and are trying to sort out why I can’t order via PayPal. Another note, they also confirmed that they too use Digital River for their online store. Bravo to VMWare for stepping up to the plate. Now we’ll see if it actually gets resolved.

UPDATE #3: VMWare e-mailed me at 7:30 AM this morning to try and sort this out. Parallels e-mailed at 3:36 PM and offered me a free copy. Draw your own conclusions. Keep in mind I’m not looking for a freebie. I simply wanted to be able to order Parallels Desktop 6 using the payment method of my choice. So Parallels I’ll take your copy and say thank you, and I will note that in your e-mail to me that you’re going to fix things so that this doesn’t happen again. Great. I’ll be watching.

UPDATE #4: VMWare surprisingly really managed to bungle this. This is what they VMWare forwarded to me from Digital River:

At this time if the payment has not been completed, we would suggest to
have this order cancelled and a new one set up for the order.

Thank you for contacting Digital River.

So they then canceled my order. I then tried to order it again using PayPal as they suggested, and guess what? It didn’t work AGAIN. At this point, VMWare is out of chances. Parallels despite all the negative press associated with their support came through. VMWare didn’t come through. Take a guess who I am going to be singing the praises of?

Oh, for those who want to know what I think of Parallels Desktop 6, watch for a review in the next few days.

1 Comment »

Parallels Cancels My Order…. Let’s See If VMWare Can Do Any Better

Posted in Commentary with tags , on September 17, 2010 by itnerd

You know, Parallels Desktop has been a really good virtualization application, and I’ve had positive things to say about it in this blog. But ordering the latest version was a pain as I’ve documented previously. Basically I want to give them my money via PayPal, but they won’t take it via PayPal. The last straw with Parallels has been the fact that I got an e-mail tonight that said the following:

Thank you for your order from Parallels, Inc. (para) on September 14, 2010. We have not yet received payment during the past 3 days and your order has been canceled.

If you have already sent payment, please disregard this notice as your order will be processed when your payment is received.  If you have not yet sent payment, your order will not be processed. If you still want to complete your purchase you must place a new order.

If you have questions about your order, please visit: http://www.parallels.com/support

Excuse me. I’d love to pay you guys via PayPal, but that seems to be a non-starter with you guys. Sure I could pay by credit card, but I want to pay via PayPal as that is an option that is offered. Too bad it doesn’t work. So I decided to take VMWare up on their $9.95 cross-grade offer to VMWare Fusion. I should point out something else. This offer is open to more than just those with Parallels 5 or 6. According to the promotion conditions, anyone who owns one of the following licences can avail themselves of the special pricing:

  • VMware Fusion 1
  • VMware Fusion 2
  • Parallels Desktop 1 for Mac
  • Parallels Desktop 2 for Mac
  • Parallels Desktop 3 for Mac
  • Parallels Desktop 4 for Mac
  • Parallels Desktop Switch to Mac Edition

Basically if you’re running any version of Parallels or an earlier version of VMWare Fusion, you can get the latest and greatest from VMWare Fusion for $9.95. So I decided to take the plunge and ordered it via PayPal. As I type this I’m promised an e-mail “shortly” to confirm my order. If I do, that alone will make them better than Parallels.

I’ll keep you posted.

1 Comment »

Parallels Desktop for Mac 6 Ships….. Too Bad I Can’t Order It

Posted in Commentary with tags , on September 14, 2010 by itnerd

The latest version of Parallels Desktop for Mac has hit the streets. Version 6 of Parallels Desktop has a number of new features and refinements for users looking to run Windows, LINUX and other operating systems on your Mac. Frequent readers know that I really like Parallels Desktop 6 and I ordered it…. or rather tried to order it online from the Parallels website tonight using PayPal as my method of payment. The only acknowledgment that I received was that their webpage told me that I would get an e-mail acknowledging my order. That was 6 PM. I have still not received a message from Parallels about my order. Now it might have something to do with the fact that Parallels outsources their online store to a company called Digital River, or it could simply be incompetence which wouldn’t be a shock since a simple Google search shows that Parallels Desktop doesn’t exactly have the best reputation for customer service. Either way, I’m not a happy camper and I wonder if others have the same issue. If you have had issues ordering Parallels Desktop 6, please post a comment.

In the meantime, perhaps I’ll look at VMWare Fusion as they’re offering Parallels Desktop users a $9.99 upgrade for a limited time. That would be an option for me seeing as my MobiKEY works just fine with it.

1 Comment »

VMWare Fusion Thrashed By Parallels Desktop In Terms Of Graphics Performance…. But Does It Matter?

Posted in Commentary with tags , on March 15, 2010 by itnerd

Frequent readers will recall that I did a head to head comparison of VMWare Fusion 3 and Parallels Desktop 5 a while ago and I didn’t really name a winner as it depended on your needs and I didn’t have an objective way of measuring the two products. Good thing that MacTech did that for me when it comes to the graphics performance of the two products, and they’ve posted a video with their results:

The above video has 2 MacBook Pros running Windows XP in virtual machines on Mac OS 10.6.2 via VMWare Fusion 3 and Parallels Desktop 5. The winner? Parallels Desktop 5. But before you run out and get Parallels Desktop 5 to play Crysis, you should note this. I still wouldn’t use a virtual machine to play video games as you’re going to get better performance from using Boot Camp which runs XP, Vista, or Windows 7 without the overhead of a virtual machine. But if you need to run some sort of a PC based application on your Mac that requires 3D support, it might be worth giving Parallels Desktop 5 a try. Oh yeah, I should note that they recently kicked out a update that increases the speed of virtual machines as well as adding Google Chrome support, not to mention a ton of other improvements.

Leave a comment »

Parallels Desktop And VMware Fusion Unleash Updates…. Users Win

Posted in Commentary with tags , on December 21, 2009 by itnerd

The Macintosh virtual machine market is heating up as the two leading contenders, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion release updates of their products. First VMware Fusion has added a number of improvements in version 3.0.1. You can see the entire list here. All of them are meant to increase speed. A Vista VM that I tested went from 2.9 to 4.4 simply by doing that update. A significant increase. Parallels Desktop 5 hasn’t rested on their laurels having kicked up an update to their product. You can see the list of changes here. I use the latter product and my Windows experience score in my Vista VM has gone up from 2.9 to 4.2. That’s not a minor performance difference either. But oddly, my Windows 7 score dropped from 4.2 to 3.9 because my gaming performance dropped to 3.9 (Your Windows Vista or Windows 7 score is based on your lowest score). What’s up with that?

In any case, the battle continues. The winners will users of these products. That’s a good thing.

2 Comments »

Parallels Desktop 5 Vs. VMware Fusion 3: Fight!

Posted in Commentary with tags , on November 6, 2009 by itnerd

The two titans in the Macintosh virtual machine software market have both kicked up significant updates in the last little while. Parallels Desktop 5 and VMware Fusion 3 both want your hard earned dollars, but is one better than the other? I had a look at both and here’s what I think about them:

Installing Windows: It’s a wizard driven install that makes the process dead easy. This is a tie from where I sit.

Overall Speed: Both products claim that they’re faster than ever, but for me Parallels Desktop “feels” somewhat faster than VMware Fusion in my “seat of the pants testing.” For what it’s worth, both products were on the same computer and the virtual computers had the same configuration. I’m not going to assign a winner to this category as clearly, your mileage may vary when it comes to subjective items such as speed.

Graphics: Both products have significant upgrades to their graphics abilities as they now support DirectX 9 and Open GL. That means that you can do Aero and Flip 3D in Windows Vista and Windows 7, not to mention run your favorite game as well (although IMHO, that’s better done in Boot Camp). I tried a few video games in both products and had no problems running them well in either product. This category is a tie.

USB Support: My usual test of the USB support is to plug my MobiKEY into each product and see how it handles it as the MobiKEY is a rather complex device that sometimes makes USB problems in a computer show up. Parallels Desktop 5 had no issue with the MobiKEY. I plugged it in and it worked. VMware Fusion didn’t see it at first. So I did some Googling and found this VMware Communities discussion thread that explains how to enable support for the MobiKEY. Even though it was referencing an older version of VMware Fusion, it worked. But the solution was not end user friendly at all. Advantage: Parallels Desktop

Eye Candy: If you’re an eye candy sort of person, Parallels has way more eye candy than VMware Fusion. You can make Windows apps look very Mac like and there’s a feature called Crystal View which hides all your icons in the Dock and the OS X Parallels menu bar, moving access to menu items and a newly created folder icon in the Dock which has all your windows shortcuts. I personally hate eye candy so I tend to turn this stuff off. Besides, it likely frees up memory if you do that as well. VMware has made some significant changes to their user interface that are subtle but useful. For example, one interesting new feature is the Applications Menu which lives on the OS X menu bar. You can do everything you’d do within the Windows Start menu so I can see it being handy for some users. Bottom line, I find the eye candy that VMware has more useful than the stuff that Parallels Desktop has. Advantage: VMware Fusion

Technical Support: The last time I wrote about support for both VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop, I basically said that technical  support for both sucked. Now with their new versions, here’s what they offer. First here’s what VMware offers for  VMware Fusion:

For Fusion 3.x, installation assistance is offered for 18 months after product registration or until product end of life. Submit support requests either online or via phone; responses are targeted within one business day.

Now here’s what Parallels Desktop offers :

Customers upgrading to Parallels Desktop 5 to Mac or purchasing a new version of Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac are eligible for the following complimentary support options:

  • 18 months free installation support by Email, starting with November 4th 2009
  • 30 day complimentary Chat and Telephone support

Clearly they’re finally starting to get the message that software sold to end users requires support that easy to access. Bravo! I’m declaring this a tie.

So who comes out on top? In my mind there isn’t a clear winner as it depends on what you need virtual machine software for. If you need USB support, go with Parallels. Hands down it has better USB support. If you simply need to run Windows or some other OS on your Mac, you can’t go wrong with either product. One thing that helps is that trials for both products are available, so you can try each out and see which one suits your needs better.

2 Comments »

Parallels Desktop 5 Gets Released

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 4, 2009 by itnerd

Not to be outdone by VMware Fusion 3.0, Parallels has released the latest version of Parallels Desktop today. In a press release issued early this morning, they highlight many of the new features in this release:

Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac introduces more than 70 new features and enhancements, offering a computing experience that is:

Faster…

  • Full support for Aero in Windows Vista and 7 through Windows WDDM driver, including Aero Flip 3D
  • Virtual machine size automatically optimized for best performance with Parallels Compressor
  • Improved performance for Linux guest OS from KVM paravirtualization

“The excellent 3D graphics performance of Parallels Desktop for Mac makes it Autodesk’s preferred Mac virtualization software for customers who choose to run AutoCAD or our other design and engineering software on the Mac,” said Andrew Mackles, Director of AutoCAD Product Management at Autodesk.  “We are excited about the further graphics enhancements in Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac and the potential to improve the customer experiences.”

Smarter…

  • A more Mac-like experience in their Windows applications through Apple Trackpad Gestures technology (pinch, swipe, rotate and more), horizontal scrolling and the application of Full Screen active corners and curl page effect
  • Copy & Paste fidelity for formatted text and complete layouts including images, even between Windows and Linux guest OSs
  • Freedom and flexibility to run Windows and Mac applications across multiple monitors

More Powerful…

  • 7 times better graphic performance for games and 3D applications than the previous version with Direct X 9Ex with Shader Model 3 and OpenGL 2.1 support
  • Superior graphics performance for Linux guests through OpenGL 2.1 support
  • Full hardware resources can be utilized with support for 8 virtual CPUs, 64 bit Windows and Snow Leopard Server 64 bit
  • Easily move PCs (including Windows 7) and 3rd party virtual machines to the Mac  with the enhanced Parallels Transporter

It really sounds like they’ve put something together to go to war with Fusion 3.0. Hopefully they have this nailed down as the last time that Parallels came out with software, they ran into accusations of shipping buggy software, accusations of shipping pre-release code among other things that created a major public relations nightmare for them. Hopefully this time will be different.

Parallels Desktop 5 is out today and I plan on downloading a copy of it and putting it head to head against Fusion 3. I’ve been using Parallels Desktop for a couple of years now, but I’ve been experimenting with Fusion 3 lately. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top.

1 Comment »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »