![]() ![]() Recently VMware announced releasing a public tech preview of their emulation software for Apple Silicon. Once my subscription was up for renewal I was greeted with a renewal fee of £79.99!įor the last few months, I haven’t been using this software often enough, so I start thinking, do I need it? Is there any alternative that offers Windows OS on macOS with an M1 chip that is finally worth considering? I was forced to move into version 17 to get the support for Apple Silicon however I found a good deal at the time (a bundle deal) so was happy with it. At the time I stuck with version 15 for some time until I upgraded to MacBook Air M1 in 2021. Introducing the subscription model, Standards and Pro versions put a bit of confusion. Over the years the business model of the company behind this software changed. The upgrade was a bit necessary as related closely to the macOS updates and new functions introduced. Initially, I purchased a full licence which I upgrade roughly every year. For Pro editions, you can also use a network conditioner to simulate specific network conditions in a VM, and for the Business edition, Single Sign-On (SSO) is now an option for setting up Parallels Desktop.I have been using Parallels Desktop since 2014. Other changes in this release include improvements to Shared Folders for better compatibility with Intel-based Windows apps on M-series Macs, some design tweaks, and easier network settings that try to prevent user errors and conflicts with macOS settings. Previously, M series Macs could only assign up to 8 CPU cores and 32GB of RAM to VMs. You can assign up to 18 CPU cores and 62GB of RAM to the virtual machine, resulting in up to 96% faster performance on Windows 11. And speaking of Linux, the latest version of Parallels Desktop adds support for network boot for Arm-based Linux machines, too.Īnother notable upgrade, though this is only available in the Pro edition of Parallels Desktop 18, is the ability to assign more RAM and more CPU cores to your Windows VM on a Mac Studio with the M1 Ultra chip. Additionally, the network driver used for Linux and Windows now supports Ethernet jumbo frames. This update also improves support for USB 3.0 devices in virtual machines, so you can use hardware like webcams and capture cards for streaming inside a VM. If you game with a mouse, there's also improved precision for gaming. Additionally, Parallels has added support for Bluetooth controllers so you can connect a controller such as the Xbox Wireless Controller, and it will simply work in Windows when you launch a VM. Now, if your Mac has a ProMotion display and you change the refresh rate of the panel in macOS, Windows will automatically change its refresh rate to match, so the experience should feel smoother. ![]() Parallels Desktop 18 also has better support for ProMotion displays in Windows virtual machines. However, M-series Macs also have a new capability, so you can choose what edition of Windows 11 you want to install during setup. For that, you still have to download the latest build from the Windows Insider website. You can now download and install a Windows 11 VM more easily, but this still won't work for Apple M-series Macs because Microsoft doesn't officially distribute installation files for Arm-based versions of Windows. ![]() The list of changes is significant, starting by making it easier to install Windows 11 on Intel-based Macs with a single click. ![]()
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