Parallels or VMWare for RMBP?

skysailing said:

I keep trying to figure out what the heck makes them different..also, which one is retina compatible?
Please suggest one that doesn't require a disk. I'm trying to install everything on the machine without a disk.

It sucks that neither of them is on the App store.

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Both VMWare and Parallels can be downloaded from their respective vendors websites. VMWare you get a 30 day trial, I think Parallels has one also. Both support retina.

https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/info/slug/desktop_end_user_computing/vmware_fusion/5_0

skysailing said:

Awesome! Now, how would I buy Windows 8? Please don't tell me I have to get Windows 7 first. Does Parallels come with the option to purchase Windows 8 via direct download when I install it? I can't seem to find Windows 8 (only the upgrade).

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Try the Eval first. This link should still be active...

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-in/evalcenter/jj554510.aspx

Love Parallels 8... I have win 7 and win 8 loaded on my Mac... you can buy a copy through the parallels interface, but you'll pay full price. I've purchased my licenses through other online sites and saved $$. Tiger, et al has copies, even eBay.

skysailing said:

I can DIGITALLY buy it from the installed screen? Awesome. Do you remember how much it was?

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I don't recall the price but many items are available in the "convenience store" accessed in the front panel of Parallels 8.

Here's a link with more info on where & how to get Windows:
http://kb.parallels.com/4729

Other OS's are availbale for free within Parallel's VM list.

Parallels Over VMWare Fusion.

I've been a VMWare user since Fusion was released in 2008. Over the past week since my new iMac arrived, I've been trialing Parallels 8. I am extremely impressed. I've used Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. All have run extremely smoothly. I'm making the leap and moving from VMWare to Parallels once the trial expires. Very nice Mac integration as well. You will not be disappointed.

bielen said:

I've been a VMWare user since Fusion was released in 2008. Over the past week since my new iMac arrived, I've been trialing Parallels 8. I am extremely impressed. I've used Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. All have run extremely smoothly. I'm making the leap and moving from VMWare to Parallels once the trial expires. Very nice Mac integration as well. You will not be disappointed.

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I'm looking at running this in a work environment in the new year and will need a couple of Virtual Machines running. What do you find are the benefits of Parallels over VMWare Fusion?

DavoteK said:

I'm looking at running this in a work environment in the new year and will need a couple of Virtual Machines running. What do you find are the benefits of Parallels over VMWare Fusion?

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Parallels seems to be smoother. Fusion will create a file that will migrate right into a corporate VMWare farm though. Most IT departments won't flinch at dealing with a Fusion created VM, as it's essentially the same as any other if they're running ESX.

DavoteK said:

I'm looking at running this in a work environment in the new year and will need a couple of Virtual Machines running. What do you find are the benefits of Parallels over VMWare Fusion?

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I've found opening/closing VMs much faster than Parallels. I often switch between environments and it's painful to watch spinning beach ball. There is a convenient open in Internet Explorer right from Safari which is good when you want to test browsers quickly in both Macintosh and Windows or for a specific IE issue which seems to crop up. Parallels fully integrates with the Mac as does VMware, but I'm finding Parallels a bit smoother. Very easy to switch between Mac and Windows apps and launch apps. While VMware does all this too, I just find Parallels a bit more refined. Bother offer converters to each others product so should in the future I want to go back to VMWare, the option exists.

VMWare does have a more friendly user license if you need to run Windows on multiple systems.