To run virtual machines on a Mac with Apple M Series chip, Parallels engineers created a new virtualization engine that uses the Apple M Series chip hardware-assisted virtualization and allows to run Arm-based virtual machines. All of the best Parallels Desktop features were re-engineered for the Apple M1 chip, including:
In very basic terms, virtualization directly uses the underlying hardware to "virtually" run multiple operating systems "alongside" the host, whereas emulation "recreates" a CPU, and often an operating system, in software. Ultimately, virtualization is much faster than emulation.
Parallels : Parallels: Virtualization For Mac
The virtualization solution that produced a tidal wave across the Mac web is Parallels Desktop for Mac, originally called "Workstation". After months of beta testing that "generated more than 100,000 testers from 71 countries", Parallels released the "final" version on June 15, 2006, and has been releasing even better beta versions and new "final" versions ever since at a lightning pace.
The company, based in Bellevue, Wash., was founded in 1999 by Nikolay Dobrovolskiy, Serguei Beloussov and three others. In 2004, SWsoft acquired Parallels to expand its virtualization software offerings. SWsoft went on to change its name to Parallels in 2008.
Now, concerning the new ARM-based Apple Silicon Macs, it would be great if these applications could implement the best possible virtualization (or at least emulation if virtualization is not possible) to run Mac OS X Server 10.6 Snow Leopard (which has the first version of Rosetta, and thus runs PowerPC applications like Eudora, Palm Desktop or Canvas), as well as macOS 10.12 Sierra to macOS 10.15 Catalina.
With more enterprises adopting tablets instead of laptops for roaming workers, and consumers making the leap to buying tablets as second computers, Parallels Access makes these tablets supremely more useful, and highlights just how versatile they can be. Of course, they also highlight how Apple had yet to bridge this virtualization gap.
A Parallels spokesperson tells me that the app is launching with full Mac support, and with the Windows virtualization support in beta. The company is also planning to support other platforms (Android? Windows 8?) at some point in the future.
It's worth noting from the off that the versions of Windows that Parallels 17 can run on an M1 Mac are currently limited to the Insider Previews for Windows 10 and Windows 11, due to their compatibility with ARM-based hardware. However, Parallels has promised that when Windows 11 is officially released to the public, the virtualization software will be able to run it.
This is where virtualization tools step in. Applications that run a virtual machine, allowing users to install Windows on their Mac and run it from within macOS. In effect, the tool acts as a computer to Windows, allowing it access to the resources of the host Mac, but still runs entirely normally.
Two of the biggest names in virtualization for macOS users are Parallels Desktop for Mac and VMWare Fusion. They're both utilities that can get you running Windows on your Mac, but there are differences in how the two operate.
For a start, Boot Camp isn't virtualization, as you're creating a partition for Windows and installing it on a drive. This can provide the fastest Windows experience as neither a virtual machine nor macOS is getting in the way between Windows and the hardware.
If you are looking to install Windows on your Mac, you have two options. You can either install Windows in Boot Camp, a native feature of the Mac OS X operating system, or you can use a virtualization program. These are third-party applications that run on your Mac just like any other program. They create a virtualization of another computer, allowing you to install a separate operating system. With virtualization software, it is almost like you are using two computers at the same time on one machine. There are many virtualization programs available, but Parallels Desktop for Mac is the most popular and will be the one we focus on. If you'd like to check out other virtualization options, VMware, Citrix and Red Hat are good alternatives.
Depending on your specific needs, you may want to chose Boot Camp for your Windows install or you may want to buy a virtualization program. They both have their own specific advantages and disadvantages when you compare them. However, before you make the decision to purchase Windows and install it on your Mac, you'll want to double check that your Mac is compatible with the Windows version you are planning to run. Use this handy reference from Apple to determine which versions of Windows your Mac is compatible with.
If you have an older computer with less than 4GB of RAM, you probably want to go with Boot Camp as you will notice decreased performance running Parallels. If you're someone who wants to keep their Windows and OS X experiences entirely separate, Boot Camp is also the best option for you. Those looking to install Windows on their Mac as affordably as possible will also want to go the Boot Camp route. If you want to run Windows and Mac apps together at the same time and be able to quickly switch back and forth between operating systems, you definitely want to go with Parallels or another virtualization software (they all do virtually the same thing, no pun intended). My personal recommendation is that if you have a computer with enough RAM and a processor to handle it, go with Parallels. I find it easier to use and the ability to run Windows apps in Coherence Mode is awesome - giving you the best of both operating system worlds.
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions about Boot Camp, Parallels, virtualization or anything else, leave us a comment below or hit us up on our web chat! If you need help installing Windows on your Mac, our Apple Technicians are able to help you out. We charge $95 for the install and can also help you with purchasing and downloading Parallels and the Windows operating system!
Over the past few months, I've been taking you through the story of my monster iMac. In my last article, I showed you how I'd finally gotten a stable configuration for the four monitors. In this article, I'll show you how to get the virtualization software Parallels to run properly using those monitors.
Do you use virtualization software on your Mac? I looked at Fusion and I've long used VirtualBox, but Parallels allowed me the best tight application integration across platforms. What has your experience been? Let us know in the TalkBacks below.
Parallels Desktop is a hypervisor for macOS which allows users to install a variety of operating systems as "virtual machines" (guests) on the host system, reducing the need for managing multiple physical machines. A more complete description on virtualization can be found at Wikipedia.
Happily, you can still upgrade to Catalina without losing access to older apps, thanks to virtualization. All you have to do is run Mojave in a virtual machine to keep your older software functioning. It makes sense to use Mojave, rather than an earlier macOS release, because Mojave will receive security updates longer than older versions of the operating system.
Parallels is a worldwide leader in virtualization and automation software that optimizes computing for consumers, businesses, and service providers across all major hardware, operating system, and virtualization platforms.
Parallels Desktop for Mac customers (any edition) can get upgrade pricing for Parallels Desktop 15 online here. New customers can download free trials and purchase at parallels.com/desktop. Pricing details follow below: 2ff7e9595c
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