- #Parallels update for lion for mac
- #Parallels update for lion mac os
- #Parallels update for lion manual
Switching from Windows back to a separate OS X desktop space with the two-finger swipe (or via Mission Control) is as smooth as you could ask for (same goes for Windows 7).
#Parallels update for lion manual
We threw Windows 8 in full screen mode (required some manual resolution tweaking) in a separate desktop space through Mission Control. Exiting full-screen is accessible through the top right corner of the auto-hidden OS X menu bar, again, just like any other native Lion app. This includes the new full-screen app mode that works when hitting the icon in the upper right corner of your virtual machine. Most of the new UI features of Lion are available in Windows. Parallels does not officially support Windows 8, but we got it up and running with no problems by simply selecting “Other Windows” during installation. The Windows 8 developer preview was a little sketchy at times and does not support many of Parallels features, but that is to be expected with early prerelease builds. The same previous issues will have you running back to Boot Camp if graphic intensive gaming is what you are after. You can now also assign up to 1GB of video memory to Windows if necessary although, do not expect that to improve gaming significantly.
That lag is noticeably reduced when testing Parallels 7 with Windows 7 and Windows 8 on Lion. Previous versions of Parallels would cause Snow Leopard to become quite sluggish when switching between OS X and Windows apps.
#Parallels update for lion mac os
You can also now install another instance of Mac OS X, which is -of course- a feature mainly devs will utilize. The new installer wizard is a nice touch, letting you buy Windows right from within the app, grab a free copy of Chrome OS, or just go the usual route with your own disc or image. We also ran a fresh installation of Windows 7 and Windows 8 developer preview, which a slightly redesigned install wizard (above) made a little less frustrating than prior versions. Keep in mind that we first used the same Win 7 VM as we were using in previous versions. Both booting up Windows and resuming Windows applications (more on that later) feels smoother. It is clear right from the top that version 7 is much faster than previous versions. We put the new version to the test with both Windows 7 and Windows 8 developer preview on last year’s iMac with 4GB of RAM. Pretty much every new UI feature incorporated into Lion has been integrated into Parallels, and thus Windows 7.
#Parallels update for lion for mac
The name of the game for the new Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac is definitely OS X Lion integration.
However, Parallels Desktop 7 takes it to the next level with some of the deepest Windows/OS X integration yet. You might also be familiar with its Coherence view mode that allows you to run Windows and Mac OS applications side by side, rather than a full-blown Windows 7 in a separate window. If you are not new to Parallels, you will already be familiar with its ability to run Windows in a virtual machine within OS X. (We’re offering a $10 discount/free Parallels MacBook Air contest this week)