Parallels Upgrades Windows On Mac Experience

Parallels on Tuesday launched version 4.0 of Parallels Desktop for Mac, bringing to market a bundle of virtualization goodness that offers better performance and operating system integration as well as a host of security, backup and power saving enhancements.

Version 4.0 of Parallels Desktop for Mac, which allows users to run Windows, Linux and other operating systems alongside Mac OS X, includes a completely rebuilt virtualization engine that improves scalability and reduces power consumption by 15 percent to 30 percent, said Bill Portin, vice president of sales and operations for Parallels, Renton, Wash.

Version 4.0 includes Adaptive Hypervisor, which automatically allocates CPU power between the virtual machine and OS X applications, as well as a re-designed user interface for easier navigation of virtual environments. Graphics performance also has been addressed with support for DirectX 9.0, DirectX Pixel Shader 2.0 and OpenGL 2.0.

Securing and backing up virtual environments are top-of-mind concerns for many users, and Parallels Desktop for Mac 4.0 handles these with anti-virus, firewall, scanner, recovery, filtering and identity protection tools from Kaspersky Lab, and backup tools from Acronis.

Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac is priced at $79.99 and available at Amazon.com, Apple Store, Best Buy, Fry's Electronics, MicroCenter, Office Depot, Staples and other outlets. It's currently available only in English, but Chinese, Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Polish and Russian versions are in the works.