Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac is the upgrade for Parallels Desktop 7, and now features the use of Mountain Lion's Dictation tool across both PC and Mac, drag and drop simplicity for email attachments, and an enhanced Parallels Mobile App for your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.
Parallels Desktop for Mac allows you to run Windows apps and programs side-by-side with your Mac OS. Using an Intel-based Mac as your starting point, you can run your favorite PC games, applications or programs from your Mac desktop. No more dual-system rebooting, no more compatibility checks - if it runs on your PC, it should run on Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac.
The Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac adds new features, like a 30% increase in graphics performance compared to previous versions, or a 25% increase in speed when you start, stop and resume Windows. There is also an enhanced Parallels Mobile App (sold separately through the App Store), which allows you to copy-and-paste, enjoy audio, and access your Mac and Windows programs with your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.
Other enhancements include the option to add Windows apps to the Mountain Lion or Lion Launchpad to quickly launch Mac and Windows apps you use the most, or the ability to enjoy your Retina display with your Windows apps. You can also drag and drop files from the desktop onto the Doc Icons for Outlook or other Windows email clients to add them as email attachments.
Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac takes advantage of Mac OS X Mountain Lion's features and applies them to Windows programs, like support for Launchpad, Dictation, Notification Center and Mission Control. If you ever wanted to experience life with dual systems, this is the program that allows you to do it.
| Hardware Requirements |
• A Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor. • Minimum 2 GB of memory (4 GB of memory is recommended to run Windows 7 in a virtual machine or if your host OS is Lion • About 500 MB of disk space on the boot volume (Macintosh HD) for Parallels Desktop installation. • About 15 GB of disk space for each virtual machine. |
| Software Specification | |
|---|---|
| Software Requirements |
Macintosh Computers • Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 • Mac OS X Lion 10.7 • Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or later • Mac OS X Leopard v10.5.8 or later Note: Mac OS X Tiger v10.4.x is not supported in this version of Parallels Desktop. |
| Supported Operating Systems |
32-Bit Operating Systems •Windows 7 •Windows Vista SP 0, SP 1, SP 2 •Windows Server 2008 R2, SP2, SP1, SP0 •Windows Server 2003 R2, SP2, SP1, SP0 •Windows XP Professional SP3, SP2, SP1, SP0 •Windows XP Home SP3, SP2, SP1, SP0 •Windows 2000 Professional SP4 •Windows 2000 Server SP4 •Windows NT 4.0 Server SP6 •Windows NT 4.0 Workstation SP6 •Windows ME •Windows 98 SE •Windows 95 •Windows 3.11 •MS-DOS 6.22 •Red Hat Enterprise 6.x, 5.x, 4.x •Fedora 15, 14, 13, 12 •Ubuntu 11.10, 11.04, 10.10, 10.04, 9.10, 9.04, 8.10 •CentOS 5.x, 4.x •Debian 5.0 •Suse Linux Enterprise Server 11, 10 SP2 •Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 •OpenSUSE Linux 11.x •Mandriva 2010, 2009 •Solaris 10 •Open Solaris 2009.06 •FreeBSD 8.x, 7.x •OS/2 Warp 4.5, 4 •eComStation 1.2 •Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 (on Lion or Mountain Lion only) •Mac OS X Lion Server 10.7 •Mac OS X Leopard Server 10.5.x •Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server 10.6.x 64-Bit Operating Systems •Windows 7 •Windows Vista SP 0, SP 1, SP 2 •Windows Server 2008 R2, SP2, SP1, SP0 •Windows Server 2003 R2, SP2, SP1, SP0 •Windows XP Professional SP2 •Red Hat Enterprise 6.x, 5.x •Fedora 15, 14, 13, 12 •Ubuntu 11.10, 11.04, 10.10, 10.04, 9.10, 9.04, 8.10 •CentOS 5.x •Debian 5.0 •Suse Linux Enterprise Server 11, 10 SP2 •Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 •OpenSUSE Linux 11.x •Mandriva 2010, 2009 •Solaris 10 •Open Solaris 2009.06 •FreeBSD 8.x,7.x •Mac OS X Leopard Server 10.5.x •Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server 10.6.x Includes experimental support for 32- and 64-bit Windows 8 Developer and Consumer Previews. Virtual machine operating systems - such as Windows, Linux, and Solaris - are not included. |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviewsPros
Cons
Best Uses
Most Liked Positive Review
Good, not great
I use Parallels 8 to do computer programming on Windows. For the most part I've been happy with it. The performance in my use seems to be on par with Virtual Box by Oracle....Read complete review
I use Parallels 8 to do computer programming on Windows. For the most part I've been happy with it. The performance in my use seems to be on par with Virtual Box by Oracle.
There are a handful of things Parallels performs great at: I like the fact they automatically setup advance options like sharing drives and keyboard shortcuts. This allows me to switch back and forth between platforms with ease. However I feel that the default Coherence Mode setup is too tightly coupled – especially with the Crystal Mode option. I switched back to either using full-screen or Modularity.
My gripes would primarily be with the mouse drives. For some reason the scrolling is just ridiculously fast. I tried everything recommended on the Parallels forums and by googling. Both to no avail.
Essentially the mouse will scroll too fast with my scroll wheel (even with it set to one line at a time in Control Panel). The touchpad on my Mac seems to work great but not my USB mouse. The only way I found around this issue was to attach the USB mouse directly to my Windows VM which makes it unusable on OSX. This is not exactly a win because I have to revert to using my Mac trackpad when I switch to an App on OSX.
I also had issues with the Retina display (however it's more or less a Windows issue because of how they do font scaling. I probably will stick this out for a while and if they improve these issues I will keep with them going forward, otherwise I'll head back to Virtual Box.
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Defective Software
The software currently shipped cannot be installed. The user license agreement cannot be accepted and stays grayed out for both the CD version and the download. Contacted tech support and they gave me a ...Read complete review
The software currently shipped cannot be installed. The user license agreement cannot be accepted and stays grayed out for both the CD version and the download. Contacted tech support and they gave me a special download link and I am trying it now. Support Chat with parallels showed other users having the same problem. Operating system OSX Lion, the latest.
The app for the iphone is defective as well, check the reviews on itunes.
REVIEWS
Reviewed by 82 customers
Sort by
Displaying reviews 1-20
Previous | Next »
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Every Mac user must have!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
My Macbook 13" has no CD drive, so i cannot use this. There should really be a downloadable version of this.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Perfect! Make my mac wider, making it possible to be more compatible with all softwares new or old that are made only for windows.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
I use Parallels 8 to do computer programming on Windows. For the most part I've been happy with it. The performance in my use seems to be on par with Virtual Box by Oracle.
There are a handful of things Parallels performs great at: I like the fact they automatically setup advance options like sharing drives and keyboard shortcuts. This allows me to switch back and forth between platforms with ease. However I feel that the default Coherence Mode setup is too tightly coupled – especially with the Crystal Mode option. I switched back to either using full-screen or Modularity.
My gripes would primarily be with the mouse drives. For some reason the scrolling is just ridiculously fast. I tried everything recommended on the Parallels forums and by googling. Both to no avail.
Essentially the mouse will scroll too fast with my scroll wheel (even with it set to one line at a time in Control Panel). The touchpad on my Mac seems to work great but not my USB mouse. The only way I found around this issue was to attach the USB mouse directly to my Windows VM which makes it unusable on OSX. This is not exactly a win because I have to revert to using my Mac trackpad when I switch to an App on OSX.
I also had issues with the Retina display (however it's more or less a Windows issue because of how they do font scaling. I probably will stick this out for a while and if they improve these issues I will keep with them going forward, otherwise I'll head back to Virtual Box.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
It Works.
Nice to be able to share files between OS X and Windows.
I could run a bit faster on my MacBook Pro
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
It's easy to use, makes the installation of any other OS seamless and so far never crashed.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Was able to create a windows 8 VM without any sort of hiccups. The W8 VM runs solid as if it were a standalone notebook.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Havent used it much, to write detailed review.
Installation is easy, but not intuitive. Bit confusing when it comes to choosing the type of installation for Windows.
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Great software. Great for users who want to run both windows and OSX simultaneously.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
This is gift when you purshed the mac.
I am a windows person, but I don't run windows on a mac.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Loaded this on my new 15" MBPr it work exactly as they describe. This is a must have if you still have windows software that you do not want to re-purchase for your MAC.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Best way to run Windows.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
not very friendly
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
I needed to run windows on my mac and this tool makes it easy especially with the coherence feature which allows you to see windows apps alongside with mac apps providing a seamless experience.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Runs great!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
This product is a great choice for the ones who can't live without Windows.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
This is great for Windows only software or testing Windows OS (for maybe developing dual OS' compatible apps?) I installed the application but haven't had a chance to install any virtual machines - I'll be comparing this with VMware Fusion and see which one works better for my needs.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Great software. Works seamlessly. Very convenient. Make sure you have at least 8GB of RAM minimum if you want to run this software reliably.
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
My wife likes Mac/Win integration and its stable now. I prefer VMware Fusion user interface, USB device compatibility, and VM portability between Windows and Linux.
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Runs the computer a little hot but it's definitely worth it.
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviewsPros
Cons
Best Uses
Most Liked Positive Review
Good, not great
I use Parallels 8 to do computer programming on Windows. For the most part I've been happy with it. The performance in my use seems to be on par with Virtual Box by Oracle....Read complete review
I use Parallels 8 to do computer programming on Windows. For the most part I've been happy with it. The performance in my use seems to be on par with Virtual Box by Oracle.
There are a handful of things Parallels performs great at: I like the fact they automatically setup advance options like sharing drives and keyboard shortcuts. This allows me to switch back and forth between platforms with ease. However I feel that the default Coherence Mode setup is too tightly coupled – especially with the Crystal Mode option. I switched back to either using full-screen or Modularity.
My gripes would primarily be with the mouse drives. For some reason the scrolling is just ridiculously fast. I tried everything recommended on the Parallels forums and by googling. Both to no avail.
Essentially the mouse will scroll too fast with my scroll wheel (even with it set to one line at a time in Control Panel). The touchpad on my Mac seems to work great but not my USB mouse. The only way I found around this issue was to attach the USB mouse directly to my Windows VM which makes it unusable on OSX. This is not exactly a win because I have to revert to using my Mac trackpad when I switch to an App on OSX.
I also had issues with the Retina display (however it's more or less a Windows issue because of how they do font scaling. I probably will stick this out for a while and if they improve these issues I will keep with them going forward, otherwise I'll head back to Virtual Box.
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Defective Software
The software currently shipped cannot be installed. The user license agreement cannot be accepted and stays grayed out for both the CD version and the download. Contacted tech support and they gave me a ...Read complete review
The software currently shipped cannot be installed. The user license agreement cannot be accepted and stays grayed out for both the CD version and the download. Contacted tech support and they gave me a special download link and I am trying it now. Support Chat with parallels showed other users having the same problem. Operating system OSX Lion, the latest.
The app for the iphone is defective as well, check the reviews on itunes.
REVIEWS
Reviewed by 82 customers
Sort by
Displaying reviews 1-20
Previous | Next »
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Every Mac user must have!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
My Macbook 13" has no CD drive, so i cannot use this. There should really be a downloadable version of this.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Perfect! Make my mac wider, making it possible to be more compatible with all softwares new or old that are made only for windows.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
I use Parallels 8 to do computer programming on Windows. For the most part I've been happy with it. The performance in my use seems to be on par with Virtual Box by Oracle.
There are a handful of things Parallels performs great at: I like the fact they automatically setup advance options like sharing drives and keyboard shortcuts. This allows me to switch back and forth between platforms with ease. However I feel that the default Coherence Mode setup is too tightly coupled – especially with the Crystal Mode option. I switched back to either using full-screen or Modularity.
My gripes would primarily be with the mouse drives. For some reason the scrolling is just ridiculously fast. I tried everything recommended on the Parallels forums and by googling. Both to no avail.
Essentially the mouse will scroll too fast with my scroll wheel (even with it set to one line at a time in Control Panel). The touchpad on my Mac seems to work great but not my USB mouse. The only way I found around this issue was to attach the USB mouse directly to my Windows VM which makes it unusable on OSX. This is not exactly a win because I have to revert to using my Mac trackpad when I switch to an App on OSX.
I also had issues with the Retina display (however it's more or less a Windows issue because of how they do font scaling. I probably will stick this out for a while and if they improve these issues I will keep with them going forward, otherwise I'll head back to Virtual Box.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
It Works.
Nice to be able to share files between OS X and Windows.
I could run a bit faster on my MacBook Pro
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
It's easy to use, makes the installation of any other OS seamless and so far never crashed.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Was able to create a windows 8 VM without any sort of hiccups. The W8 VM runs solid as if it were a standalone notebook.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Havent used it much, to write detailed review.
Installation is easy, but not intuitive. Bit confusing when it comes to choosing the type of installation for Windows.
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Great software. Great for users who want to run both windows and OSX simultaneously.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
This is gift when you purshed the mac.
I am a windows person, but I don't run windows on a mac.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Loaded this on my new 15" MBPr it work exactly as they describe. This is a must have if you still have windows software that you do not want to re-purchase for your MAC.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Best way to run Windows.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
not very friendly
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
I needed to run windows on my mac and this tool makes it easy especially with the coherence feature which allows you to see windows apps alongside with mac apps providing a seamless experience.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Runs great!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
This product is a great choice for the ones who can't live without Windows.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
This is great for Windows only software or testing Windows OS (for maybe developing dual OS' compatible apps?) I installed the application but haven't had a chance to install any virtual machines - I'll be comparing this with VMware Fusion and see which one works better for my needs.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Great software. Works seamlessly. Very convenient. Make sure you have at least 8GB of RAM minimum if you want to run this software reliably.
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
My wife likes Mac/Win integration and its stable now. I prefer VMware Fusion user interface, USB device compatibility, and VM portability between Windows and Linux.
Comments about Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac:
Runs the computer a little hot but it's definitely worth it.