Parallels Desktop 4.0 out

Parallels has officially released Parallels Desktop 4.0, the latest edition of its virtualization software for the Mac. The program lets users run operating systems such as Windows and Linux within Mac OS X, eliminating the need to dual-boot. The fourth edition is said to improve integration with operating systems, in particular Windows, as it now supports graphics technologies such as DirectX 9, Pixel Shader 2.0 and OpenGL 2.0; these are de facto in many modern Windows games.

The developer says it has also redesigned the interface, and made substantial improvements to the underlying engine, boosting performance by as much as 50 percent. It should also consume 15 to 30 percent fewer resources than before, and use a technology called the Adaptive Hypervisor to shift them where needed for virtualization performance.

Desktop is being bundled with Parallels Internet Security for protection against malware and privacy threats, along with backup and disk utility software from Acronis. At present only the English version of Desktop 4.0 is available, at a cost of $80 new, or $40 as an upgrade from earlier versions. It requires Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later, along with an Intel Mac and a minimum 1GB of RAM; 2GB or more is recommended however, particularly when trying to run Windows Vista or Mac OS X Server.

by MacNN Staff