Parallels Access for iOS updated with new file manager, extensibility support
AppleInsider Staff
Parallels on Thursday updated its Parallels Access app for iOS, adding a robust file manager, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus support and iOS file sharing features, among other enhancements.
When it was introduced as an iPad-exclusive in 2013, Parallels Access brought Windows and Mac virtualization to iOS, complete with natural navigation gestures and near-native performance. Parallels subsequently rolled out a universal version last June.
Today's update brings a slew of improvements, including an all-new file manager that allows users to transfer and store Mac or PC files to an iOS device for later access. Alternatively, locally stored files can be offloaded to a remote computer for use with full-blown desktop apps. Searching for files on remote computers is also a built-in feature.
Parallels also tacked on iOS extensibility options, including inter-app file sharing and in-app viewing of documents stored in or created by other apps. In addition, users can view and copy files directly from Dropbox and Google Drive accounts.
Finally, Parallels Access offers support for Apple's latest big-screen iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets, as well as other minor improvements and bug fixes.
New users can try out Parallels Access free for two weeks, while subscriptions start at $19.99 for one year or $34.99 for two years.
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7 Comments
I upgraded Parallels every version from 3 through 9, but now Virtual Box is free and does 90% of what I want for 0% of the price. With every upgrade Parallels got slower and injected more 'stuff' into my system. I've ignored their requests for more moolah and will soon unsubscribe from update notices altogether. Also, I have no interest in this subscription product, that I have to pay for forever. Parallels was ahead of its time for a long time but their ship has sailed. All in my humble opinion.
[quote name="xixo" url="/t/184329/parallels-access-for-ios-updated-with-new-file-manager-extensibility-support#post_2661625"]I upgraded Parallels every version from 3 through 9, but now Virtual Box is free and does 90% of what I want for 0% of the price. With every upgrade Parallels got slower and injected more 'stuff' into my system. I've ignored their requests for more moolah and will soon unsubscribe from update notices altogether. Also, I have no interest in this subscription product, that I have to pay for forever. Parallels was ahead of its time for a long time but their ship has sailed. All in my humble opinion.[/quote] I used both leading products for ages in 'parallel' in fact ... lol ... but ended up going 100% VMWare's Fusion. Nothing but good a experience with VMWare, plus it's not a Russian Company ... not that that [I]should[/I] matter .... :\ Tried VB once but too once a log time ago, not since, might give it a whirl just for fun.
I tried VirtualBox a few months ago and here's what I noted from my experience.
VirtualBox for Macs appears to be optimized for some processors, less so for others. Also, some features seem to be more robust than others. I initially installed VB on a Mac mini (mid-2010 server model) with plenty of RAM (8GB) and put it on a speedy SSD. The virtual machine booted fine, performance was acceptable, but networking (via WiFi) was dog slow. I eventually moved the VM to the internal rotational hard drive to free up space on the SSD boot drive, the slower drive performance was still acceptable even though the network slowness was painful. I finally copied the VM to an external hard drive, the slower drive still was acceptable.
Out of curiosity, I installed VirtualBox on my newer MacBook Air (mid-2013), connected the external drive and started the virtual machine. The performance was markedly speedier, even though the VM resided on the same external drive that had been connected to the Mac mini. By chance, the MacBook Air was connected via an Ethernet cable, and the networking speed was vastly better. The MacBook Air has the same amount of RAM (8GB) as my mini so that's not a factor.
Because my main home computer is the Mac mini, I returned to Parallels because VB networking via wifi was so awful.
About a week ago, I installed a powerline Ethernet adapter, and now my Mac mini is connected via a cable. Powerline Ethernet has proven to be quite reliable so far, although sometimes I get a strange hum in the speakers connected to the Mac mini (I'm actually using optical digital out to a small receiver, so I know it's not an issue with the Mac). I'll soon try VirtualBox again on my trusty old Mac mini, that might resolve the VM network issues, then I can pitch Parallels for good.
[quote name="digitalclips" url="/t/184329/parallels-access-for-ios-updated-with-new-file-manager-extensibility-support#post_2661673"] I used both leading products for ages in 'parallel' in fact ... lol ... but ended up going 100% VMWare's Fusion. Nothing but good a experience with VMWare, plus it's not a Russian Company ... not that that [I]should[/I] matter .... :\ Tried VB once but too once a log time ago, not since, might give it a whirl just for fun.[/quote] I thought they were a German company. I'd have no issues with a Russian company. I bet their math students would kick our "no child left" behinds.
I thought they were a German company. I'd have no issues with a Russian company.
I bet their math students would kick our "no child left" behinds.
VMware is an American company, founded and still headquartered in Palo Alto, California; it is now a subsidiary of EMC, the latter headquartered in Massachusetts.
VirtualBox was originally written by a German company, but was acquired by Sun Microsystems in 2008, and via acquisition is now owned by Oracle Corporation, headquartered in Redwood City, California.
Parallels is a German company.
None of these three have any connections with Russia to my knowledge.