Parallels for Apple Silicon Macs Now Supports Windows 11 Pro

[dysamoria]

Plus all the time to get all your apps up and running. I absolutely hate rebooting, it's just wasted effort and time.

I've never used Bootcamp...

Mac OS and Windows both have a tendency to do a lot of time wasting just waking them up from hours of sleep.

Windows is the worst. If I go a week without waking my PC, I’ve got five updates, indexing, and the native malware scanner to deal with (especially egregious when I’ve not installed or added anything, so why is it scanning??), and using the machine while that’s all going means I have anywhere between 60-80% less CPU on my dual core 3.0GHz PC.

I’m assuming it’s marginally better on a new quad core or better but it’s still consuming lots of storage I/O bandwidth, so I doubt I’d be wanting to game while that crap is going on, even on a new machine.

Mac OS is less offensive about it, but it’s still doing indexing and cloud synch, and that’s sometimes enough to slow down the whole system. Yes, it is also an older machine. I’m poor. Been waiting for Apple to release a good desktop machine and GPU prices to fall before blowing my limited cash on a new Mac AND a gaming PC. Was hoping to use a new Mac Pro for both, but the Mac Pro 2019 kicked me out of the market and Apple Silicon dropped Bootcamp.

 

[KPOM]

Difficult is subjective. This is the company that develops drivers for that hardware already, but currently only for its own OS.

But they have little incentive to develop drivers for another company’s OS. In the Intel days they did as little as possible, basically providing generic drivers that operated at the lowest common denominator based on common components with other PCs. It is no longer that easy for them and most customers rightfully expect Apple to devote its efforts to its own software.

 

[KPOM]

I wiped it the last time I tried the free version of Fusion (that's the first new version several years after its last paid version).
And why VMware would invest on a free software?

You can buy the non Pro version and run it as long as MacOS allows, with a few drawback.

Typically the non-subscription Parallels Desktop works for at least 2-3 years. And for most people 4 virtual CPUs are enough.

 

[KPOM]

Running a ps game on a mac was outright brain splattering. That was like a gasoline car that can run on kitchen scraps, just...not possible...





I am confused, @JustAnExpat guy tells me no commercial ARM Windows is available to buy?



Thanks for the answer!

Microsoft doesn’t technically sell Windows 11 ARM at retail. But you can download Windows 11 ARM for free (and Parallels provides the link) and then buy a Windows 11 Pro activation key from any legitimate source and use that key to activate Windows ARM. Then you are 100% legit and fully authorized by Microsoft. If you are an enterprise with a Windows 11 Enterprise license then you just use one of your keys on the VM. No need to worry about a licensing audit. It’s fully authorized.

 

[Tagbert]

Mac OS and Windows both have a tendency to do a lot of time wasting just waking them up from hours of sleep.

Windows is the worst. If I go a week without waking my PC, I’ve got five updates, indexing, and the native malware scanner to deal with (especially egregious when I’ve not installed or added anything, so why is it scanning??), and using the machine while that’s all going means I have anywhere between 60-80% less CPU on my dual core 3.0GHz PC.

I’m assuming it’s marginally better on a new quad core or better but it’s still consuming lots of storage I/O bandwidth, so I doubt I’d be wanting to game while that crap is going on, even on a new machine.

Mac OS is less offensive about it, but it’s still doing indexing and cloud synch, and that’s sometimes enough to slow down the whole system. Yes, it is also an older machine. I’m poor. Been waiting for Apple to release a good desktop machine and GPU prices to fall before blowing my limited cash on a new Mac AND a gaming PC. Was hoping to use a new Mac Pro for both, but the Mac Pro 2019 kicked me out of the market and Apple Silicon dropped Bootcamp.

Apple silicon machines tend to do that kind of housekeeping while in sleep mode using the efficiency cores so you might not see so much of it on newer machines.

 

[MaxBurn]

As someone who write such an enterprise app, it's a damned if you do damned if you don't situation. Whereas Apple is very aggressive in pushing developers to the newest APIs, Microsoft is kind of the opposite; they still support their aging Win32 stuff, and they don't provide good migration paths to modernize apps. Add to that that, for a variety of reasons, enterprise apps are increasingly moving to the web and leaving the Windows desktop behind, which incidentally also removes the need for Windows…

What I didn't mention is they presently don't support apple but a lot of users want it.

Damned if I do; spend a bunch of dev time supporting the platform in a time of transition. Burn a bunch of good will by ignoring x86 and only supporting the new thing? Burn a bunch more money supporting both knowing one will go away soon? Not to mention supporting both, or even the single new thing? Fan boy political fallout on both sides.

Damned if I don't; (for now) ignore it for a couple more years and let apple sort their platform out. Consider entering that product market when they are exclusively arm. Minimal fanboy fallout, pleaders to support apple but nothing to react to when the other sides move is radio silence.

A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.

Fortunately apple has the cash to burn to pull them through the dead zone, that would kill other companies.

 

[MacBH928]

Microsoft doesn’t technically sell Windows 11 ARM at retail. But you can download Windows 11 ARM for free (and Parallels provides the link) and then buy a Windows 11 Pro activation key from any legitimate source and use that key to activate Windows ARM. Then you are 100% legit and fully authorized by Microsoft. If you are an enterprise with a Windows 11 Enterprise license then you just use one of your keys on the VM. No need to worry about a licensing audit. It’s fully authorized.

I appreciate the reply, it clears it up. Didn't expect a pro license unlocks ARM. There use to be like 3 or 4 version of Windows.

 

[dysamoria]

But they have little incentive to develop drivers for another company’s OS. In the Intel days they did as little as possible, basically providing generic drivers that operated at the lowest common denominator based on common components with other PCs. It is no longer that easy for them and most customers rightfully expect Apple to devote its efforts to its own software.

The incentive is found (or not) in answering whether they judge customers being able to continue to run Windows natively is a benefit to their sales of Macs.

 

[dysamoria]

Apple silicon machines tend to do that kind of housekeeping while in sleep mode using the efficiency cores so you might not see so much of it on newer machines.

Good to know, thanks 👍🏽

 

[KPOM]

The incentive is found (or not) in answering whether they judge customers being able to continue to run Windows natively is a benefit to their sales of Macs.

Evidently they do not and Microsoft doesn’t seem to be pressing the issue. More and more apps, particularly enterprise apps are on the cloud. Macs haven’t been known as gaming machines in years. And users who need to run one or two apps may find virtualization acceptable. Both Apple and Microsoft have taken a passive “we’re not gonna stop you” attitude toward running Windows on AS Macs.

 

[SouthPalito]

What are people using ARM for? The only common thing for ARM to run is Office and Edge which already run just fine on M1 Macs. I need to be able to run native Project Pro on windows and I can't do that in ARM.

We have hundreds of excel files running vb macros and legacy MS access databases that require running windows and it is cheaper to run these things in virtual machines than spending money upgrading them.

 

[burgman]

We have hundreds of excel files running vb macros and legacy MS access databases that require running windows and it is cheaper to run these things in virtual machines than spending money upgrading them.

Windows 365 has virtual PC plans that look interesting.

 

[jlc1978]

Windows 365 has virtual PC plans that look interesting.

They do. Only downside is it requires internet access. Pricing right now is aimed at companies. I no wonder if they will have some sort of Office bundle aimed at home users.

 

[bobcomer]

They do. Only downside is it requires internet access. Pricing right now is aimed at companies. I no wonder if they will have some sort of Office bundle aimed at home users.

That's a huge downside for me, but yeah, if they make a home version, I can see using it for a use anywhere type PC.

Just yesterday Verizon was out for about 12 hours, and that's my cell provider, so I wouldn't have ben able to do anything if I needed a cloud PC.