Parallels

Parallels

Parallels allows Apple users to run Windows on a Mac OS X computer. The software creates a Windows virtual machine that runs alongside the native operating system.

Apple's Bootcamp application creates a bootable copy of Windows. Parallels is different; it runs Windows alongside OS X. Windows can be run in its own window, in full screen mode, or in an integrated view called Coherence. Coherence allows Mac and Windows apps to be used side by side. Parallels can even simulate important keyboard shortcuts such as CTRL-ALT-DEL.

There are a number of benefits to using this kind of virtualisation software: Parallels is useful for niche software, or legacy applications, where there is no Mac equivalent. Users can choose whether devices are assigned to OS X or to Windows when they are plugged in. Multiple virtual machines can be installed, each running self contained Windows installations. The Mac's internal RAM is split between the native OS and virtual machines. Users can customise the allocation using a slider. It can be used to install XP, Vista, Windows 8 and Windows Blue (8.1), although XP is no longer supported and therefore not recommended. Parallels ships with its own cross platform Security Center.

The newest Parallels, version 9, supports USB, Firewire and Thunderbolt devices in every operating system. The software is compatible with all recent versions of OS X, from Snow Leopard (10.6.8) to Mavericks (10.9).