Posted on 06/01/2007 1:28:28 PM PDT by Swordmaker
About 3 hours ago we let the world know that for the last few months, we've been quietly building and testing an entirely new version of Parallels Desktop for Mac. Named Desktop for Mac 3.0, this forthcoming major update - due in a few weeks - has over 50 great new features. Since we're still in beta testing I won't go into all of them, but I did want to highlight two of them:
SmartSelect: A wicked cool new feature that lets you assign any OS X or Windows application as the default for any Mac or Windows file type. This means that when you right-click on any file in either OS and selects open with, SmartSelect automatically populates the recommended application list with compatible applications from both operating systems.
With SmartSelect, I set Word for Windows to be my default application to work with .doc, .rtf and .txt files, so when I double click a file with that extension in either OS even if it is an email attachment in Apple Mail the file instantly opens the file in Word. I've also configure SmartSelect to open all hyperlinks clicked in either OS to open in Firefox for Mac, and for all email to route through Apple Mail. This is total OS integration on a file and application level...put it together with Coherence, and you have the most seamless user experience possible.
3D Graphics: You asked for it, and we delivered. Kick around your favorite Windows-only OpenGL and DirectX games and apps in a virtual machine on your Mac, without shutting down OS X!
Here's Quake 4 running full-speed in my virtual machine on my test Mac. Yes, as shocking as it may be, I took one for the team and played Windows games in my VM for a whole day to make sure that they run well. Aren't I noble?
There's a lot more (as in, more than 50 new features in all) in 3.0. You can learn more about everything that's coming in the final version at the Desktop for Mac 3.0 Upgrade Page.
The new version will be available in just a few weeks at the regular price of $79.99, but current users can upgrade for only $49.99. And, now through the release date (very soon...), you can actually upgrade for only $39.99, which, for those of you who aren't math savvy (like me), is 1/2 the regular retail price. We're doing this as a formal thank-you to everyone who's supported us over the past year. We figured that you'd like this better than just another "thank you" blog post. :)
If you want to buy now and save some dough, hit the Upgrade Page.
Stay tuned for news about the final release of 3.0 in the next few weeks. Oh, and I'll see you all at WWDC, where we'll have more big news for you.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Yep! THIS is the one we are waiting for at work. Now we can do x-platform development of our game code without having to boot back into Windows.
I will be first in line to get this!
I received an email offering to pre-order this.
Any idea whether it’s going to support 64 bit windows yet?
;’) ...for those of us who aren’t math savvy, $39.99 is less than 1/2 $79.99...
I am waiting for your reaction to actually using it... bating breath now.
I’m currently running the most recent version of Parallels on my brand new MacBook Pro. I will never buy another Microsoft product again. I have owned and used computers since 1983. I am able to run all my Windows software on the Parallels application. PLUS I can access my health system’s programs (I am a physician) using Windows XP to the electronic medical record which includes 500,000 patient records, all of my work desktop applications, and about five network printers as well as my home printer wirelessly with this puter and Parallels. I have NO NEED to buy from Microsoft again. I have been a tireless Microsoft customer and supporter for 24 years and now I am done with them.
Just thought I would point that out.
What you are avoiding is standard Intel PC hardware. Well, not really. This only runs on Intel Core processors in the new Intel based Macs. So, what you are doing is being able to run Microsoft and other Windows products within OSX, a really nice OS.
Nevertheless, welcome to the light. You will find that the less time you spend in the Windows environment, the happier you will be.
Remember, you need to deal with anti-virus/anti-spyware issues in the Windows environment despite the rest of your machine being less vulnerable. This environment IS a real running PC with all that that brings.
Our health system includes four hospitals and a variety of primary and secondary care centers throughout northern Minnesota. A few years ago we dedicated a lot of resources to employing a system wide electronic medical records system called EPIC (out of Madison). The patient charts have a common identifier and can be located from anywhere in the system, either the inpatient or outpatient settings and in all the regional and neighborhood clinics and hospitals. We are live for all outpatient electronic medical record functions currently and will be going live for all inpatient functions in the next couple of years. Our IT department has set up the ability for physicians and selected others to access EPIC through a virtual desktop over the internet. So, I open Parallels on my Mac to run Windows XP (Vista is not supported by my healthsystem). Once in XP, I go to the Home Access site over the internet using Internet Explorer and pass through a couple of security barriers. I then need an additional password/usename to access EPIC. Once in EPIC, I can review labs, authorize prescription refills, and answer patient calls (our nurses handle the telephone traffic and summarize their patient calls to me on a note through EPIC which requires me to respond usually with an "OK" or something.) Before I logged onto FR this morning, I reviewed new lab data on 15 patients in my inbox, answered 5 patients calls, and authorized 3 prescription refills. There are a lot more functionalities to the system than that also.
The downside to the EPIC system is that we had hoped we would be able to eliminate transcriptionists and reduce some cost. However, when we pilot tested this with a couple of family practice clinics in or system, we found that physicians doing data entry could only become 85% as productive as they had been previously even when they were totally up to speed on the system. We have not been able to achieve any cost reduction through the transcription aspect.
In those specialties where a patient visit deals with a single problem, the electronic medical record works well. Because I can use "smart sets", I am able to type ".xxx" or whatever I have designated in my personal "smart sets" file and have the program spit out an entire paragraph that I set up in advance. Because of this functionality, I have not dictated an outpatient visit in 18 months and I have not lost any productivity.
Be happy to discuss further with you but I am not an IT guy just a doc who has learned to use the system a little better than most.
Thanks for the note. I did realize that. As a matter of fact, I updated my Norton Antivirus this morning before logging onto FR. I guess I what I really meant to say above is that I will not be buying any more PCs that are strictly Windows based. I’ve only had this new computer for about a month but I know that I will only buy Mac now unless something really dramatic happens in the market.
Eight or nine years ago I took an IT job as a shop that had Mac users (my introduction to Macs). They had several WinTel techs and one Mac support guy.
As a WinTel support tech I was given a (s)Thinkpad (Win-98) and the Mac guy got (I believe) a G3. He quickly loaded a program that allowed him to run a Windows session (in a “window”) on his Mac. I was impressed!
In my current position I support a 100% PC shop. The Network and IT Security guys are totally unimaginative and have imposed Global Policies that reduce the corporate PC’s to a fraction of their usefulness.
I would love to get my hands on this sort of lash-up so that I would function (sort of) within their restrictive environment, and still be able to get some work done!
I’m gonna be following this with interest...
Does anyone know if Parallels will run this?
This is the natural consequence of using a platform that is vulnerable to the many already existing and greater potential malware exploits in the wild. Functionality and usability suffer... sometimes crippling the organization that needs them.
. . . the Mac guy got (I believe) a G3. He quickly loaded a program that allowed him to run a Windows session (in a window) on his Mac. I was impressed!
It is even better today... Parallels, Crossover Mac, and Boot Camp make it possible to have multiple OSs on the Apple platform running at native speeds... often more safely than a single installation. However, keep in mind that if the solution requires using a full installation of Windows, it is likely that it is just as vulnerable to Windows Malware as a regular Windows machine and would need the Windows security ware.
You can run these vulnerable OSs fairly safely if you keep their browsers and mail apps off the internet and use only Mac OSX for your internet access.
As far as I know, there is not a problem. Parallels can share a Windows partition with Boot Camp which can run Windows XP or Vista unfettered and when, booted as Windows, is a full-fledged Windows computer capable of running anything that will run on Windows.
bump
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