Applause, not everyone manages to do that leap of calculated faith. Myself included.
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Parallels 17 Brings Windows 11 and macOS Monterey Virtualization Support, Improved Graphics, M1 Optimizations, and More
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I have to say, I love my M1 MacBook Air, but it’s made everything pretty difficult. I can’t do anything Windows related on it that I used be able to do. I even tried Parallels with the Insider Preview, and everything went well until I plugged in my USB license keys. x86 drivers can’t be emulated in ARM, so I can’t even open some of my important apps. It’s a dead end for me as there will likely never be ARM drivers for this hardware. Even bootcamp on the M1 wouldn’t help this.
No thanks, but I’d rather buy a cheap Windows PC for this need or hope for an alternative. If companies start offering Windows 365 that also makes Parallels pointless. Been testing for the past week, it’s super fast and meets most Boot Camp user needs, which is running that one obscure LOB app.
As an Intel Mac owner I’m really not seeing much reason to upgrade as long as 16 runs on Monterey, with early indications being it does. Usually their performance gains feel a bit hard to validate anyway, but other than the startup time this year all the performance increases that really matter seem to be for the M1 only with no notable improvements for the Intel Macs.
Funny, I just bought his like last week and now they want fifty bucks.
Actually, it's not so funny.
Actually, it's not so funny.
I love parallels but their pricing structure for subscription-based is not practical.
I will always choose a one-time purchase and chose to pay for updates vs subscription for such a critical solution.
One thing annoying in their one-time standard subscription is the 8GB memory limit, they should double it by now for standard windows operations.
Also, Apple should acquire them now more than ever before.
I will always choose a one-time purchase and chose to pay for updates vs subscription for such a critical solution.
One thing annoying in their one-time standard subscription is the 8GB memory limit, they should double it by now for standard windows operations.
Also, Apple should acquire them now more than ever before.
Hi all. So what is the best/cheapest way for me to get a copy of Windows 10 or 11 to test out on my MacBook M1?
I'm guessing Parallels' customer base is getting smaller while getting Windows to work well on Apple Silicon is harder. A price increase was inevitable. There are many other options available for mac users who need to run windows apps - continue using an intel mac, other virtualization software, cloud-hosted windows, and separate windows hardware. Each has advantages and drawbacks depending on use case. Some users may find that ARM Windows doesn't support the legacy software and hardware that are the reason they installed Windows in the first place.
Parallels has long been the most convenient virtualization option. It will still be the best choice for users who need to use mac and windows apps simultaneously or have both platforms on the same laptop to use in the field, etc. For many though, cloud-hosted windows (you can even go hourly on AWS WorkSpaces if your needs are light), or separate hardware will be more attractive with the new pricing.
Parallels has long been the most convenient virtualization option. It will still be the best choice for users who need to use mac and windows apps simultaneously or have both platforms on the same laptop to use in the field, etc. For many though, cloud-hosted windows (you can even go hourly on AWS WorkSpaces if your needs are light), or separate hardware will be more attractive with the new pricing.
Hmm seems a little confusing, but I think you can buy it standalone? But it still mentions licensing in the purchase. I guess they must be one off purchases when the other prices stare per year. If that's the case then all is good:
Buy Parallels Desktop for Mac | Apple M1, M2, M-series compatible
Get our latest version with over 20 powerful new features to boost performance and productivity. Optimized for Apple M1 and M2 series chips and ready for macOS Ventura (when released).
www.parallels.com
Windows 365 pricing starts at $20/month for 1vCPU/2GB RAM/64GB storage. Parallels license (which you don't have to upgrade each year) will be cost effective after 4 months.
If we look at 4vCPU pricing, which is what perpetual parallels license is limited to, W365 starts at $50/mo. Even at $99/year Parallels is cheaper than W365, except for the part that one has to manage their Windows VM, while W365 is managed by Microsoft.
Every new Parallels release promises xx% faster performance for some or multiple aspects of Parallels. I've been running Parallels for over 12 years and have never found ANY speed improvement from release to release. And, now this forced subscription model - which doesn't even support multiple computers in the same home - is just ridiculous.
Please don't buy this.
The only way we can stop these scummy companies from charging us $80 per year for software we've already bought and have installed on our machines is by boycotting them. Otherwise they'll keep doing it.
The only way we can stop these scummy companies from charging us $80 per year for software we've already bought and have installed on our machines is by boycotting them. Otherwise they'll keep doing it.
Which is the point exactly, most Mac users who need to run Windows apps are doing so because of their companies LOB app. Its not like they need to for their personal needs. Yes, you have niche hobbyist, but that is a very small group of users. Most companies already can get Windows 365 through their companies Office 365 E5 which the company is already paying for.
Why are people so against subscription models for software? You're paying to support ongoing development of the app which is not a one time effort. I could understand being upset if the developer released the app and disappeared, or did not provide meaningful updates, but that is clearly not happening here.
I find it ironic that the Macrumors crowd, many of whom subscribe to a new iPhone or iPad every year, are so vehemently against software subscriptions.
I find it ironic that the Macrumors crowd, many of whom subscribe to a new iPhone or iPad every year, are so vehemently against software subscriptions.
I always find it funny to read the comments from all of you that have not yet realised that there is software out there that some of us need in our professional life that is not available on the Mac platform. We rely on software as Parallels and in my case, I have tried VirtualBox, VMVare and Bootcamp, but I still revert to Parallels.
Im now on an M1 Air and Parallels is the only option for me to run Windows 10/11 ARM64, Sparx Enterprise Architect and Microsoft SQL server and doing so with better performance than the HP PC i thought I needed to lug around in my bag for the last 6 months. Even with better battery life and no fans constantly running.
My point being that everybody's use cases are different. Parallels 17 might not be tight for you, but there are others, like me, where it fits right for the time being.
Im now on an M1 Air and Parallels is the only option for me to run Windows 10/11 ARM64, Sparx Enterprise Architect and Microsoft SQL server and doing so with better performance than the HP PC i thought I needed to lug around in my bag for the last 6 months. Even with better battery life and no fans constantly running.
My point being that everybody's use cases are different. Parallels 17 might not be tight for you, but there are others, like me, where it fits right for the time being.
I don't think this is true.
Parallels Desktop 17 has moved entirely to a subscription model, which means the standard edition costs $79.99 per year, while Pro and Business Editions are available for $99.99 per year. Users who purchased a perpetual license for an earlier version of Parallels Desktop can upgrade to Parallels Desktop 17 for $49.99. A free trial is available to download from the Parallels website.
On their website, Parallels Desktop Standard Edition that supports up to 4 cores and 8GB RAM for virtualization, is available as perpetual license at $79.99 for new license and $49.99 for upgrade.
Pro and Business Editions are subscription only at $99.99/year, which supports up to 32 cores and 128GB RAM.
nope. You can download previews but it seems Windows 11 will be the official ARM64 release
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Adobe and MS Office subscription pricing has been a price increase for most users. I know plenty of home and small business users whose needs are met by 7+ year old versions of Office or Photoshop and would see little real benefit from upgrading.. Totally understandable why these users would complain. They don't need the new features and certainly don't want to pay for them. Parallels is also increasing prices. They will probably have fewer customers but more profit per customer. They can always lower the price if it's not working out... and if they lose too many people they risk more competitors coming into the market. What's to stop Microsoft from offering Windows 11 ARM as an installable app in the App Store?