Parallels is expected to announce as early as Thursday the sixth major upgrade to its Windows virtualization software for Mac OS X, delivering a significant performance boost over its predecessor, as well as 80 other new features.
Evidence of Apple's long-awaited iLife update has appeared via retailer Amazon.com, with a new $99 Family Pack for iLife '11 listed for availability in the next two to four weeks, while Parallels 6 has appeared on one retail store's shelves.
In a comprehensive set of benchmark tests, virtualization competitors Parallels Desktop 5.0 and VMware Fusion 3.0 were examined head-to-head, finding Parallels to be an average of 30% faster than VMware.
This year's Black Friday Mac software deals include savings of over $300 on Office 2008 for Mac, 78% off student editions of Creative Suite 4.0, $30 off Parallels 5.0 and Fusion 3.0, $40 off Photoshop Elements 4.0, and $50 off QuickBooks 2010.
Parallels Desktop 5.0 was released Wednesday, with its developer claiming the latest virtualization software runs 64-bit Windows 7 22 percent faster than its nearest competitor on a MacBook Pro.
Parallels, the makers of Windows virtualization software for Mac, unveiled a new application bundle Tuesday that allows PC users to switch to OS X while retaining their programs and data.
A head-to-head test of Parallels Desktop for Mac and VMware Fusion - the two leading competitors in the Mac Virtualization segment - crowns Parallels as the clear winner, but the testers found both products performed well and VMware can even be a better choice under certain circumstances.
Parallels rival VMWare is holding a one-day sale on its Fusion 2.0 virtualization product for the Mac, which cuts the price in half to $39.99. However, Parallels users are being enticed to switch through an additional offer that brings the cost of Fusion 2.0 down to just $10.
A handful of Mac software developers are offering special savings for Black Friday, including Parallels, Intuit, and Adobe. The deepest discount comes from Microsoft, which has cut the price of Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition by $330, bringing the cost down to $169.99.
Even as many home buyers recently suddenly became shy about buying Apple computers in mid-year, small businesses just as quickly took to Macs — to the point where Apple's market share in that field grew three times larger almost overnight.
Parallels on Tuesday announced the availability of version 4.0 of Parallels Desktop for Mac, a speedier and more feature rich version of its virtualization software that lets users to run Windows, Linux and other operating systems side-by-side with Mac OS X.
Competition between virtualization software developers is about to kick into overdrive thanks to the ongoing development Parallels Desktop 4, which people familiar with the update say will significantly expand hardware and software support as well as deliver a redesigned interface.
Sales of Mac virtualization software from market leaders VMware and Parallels have shot up more than 50 percent this year, outpacing the 41 percent growth in Mac hardware sales experienced by Apple in the most recent quarter, according to market research firm NPD.
Parallels on Tuesday is expected to announce the immediate availability of Parallels Server for Mac, beating rival VMware to market with the first server virtualization solution for Intel-based Macs.
Parallels, maker of the popular Parallels Workstation software that enables Intel Mac users to run Windows or Linux within a virtualized environment, introduced its new Parallels Server. The new product, intended to enter beta in the next couple months, is designed to virtualize and manage multiple server operating systems on any Intel-compatible hardware.
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AppleInsider Staff
Brian Garner
Sam Oliver
Zach Spear
Aidan Malley
Katie Marsal
Daniel Eran Dilger
