In the interest of being fair, we bring you news of an update to the other really good Windows virtualization software for the Mac: Parallels Desktop. Much like VMware, this software allows you to, gasp, run Windows in a , well, a window on your Intel Mac running OS X. Here’s all you need to know about this update.
This latest version of Parallels features Snow Leopard compatibility, Windows 7 support, full support for Aero, including Flip 3D in Windows Vista and 7, OpenGL 2.1 and a bunch of other new or improved features. You aren’t limited to Windows, actually, as Parallels also adds support for other operating systems like Linux.
Parallels 5.0 is a free upgrade for those who purchased version 4 on October 1st, 2009 or later. Others will have to pay U.S. $49.99 to upgrade, or U.S. $79.99 for a new license. Parallels is also offering a crossgrade licensing option to VMware Fusion 2 users. If you have a license key for Fusion 2, you can get Parallels 5.0 for the same U.S. $49.99 upgrade fee as existing Parallels customers.
