Parallels Officially Announces Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac

Parallels today announced the Sept. 14th availability of Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac, their software for running Windows and Mac applications side-by-side on a Mac without rebooting. With more than 80 new and enhanced features, Parallels Desktop 6 delivers unprecedented advances in productivity, performance and graphics — the areas people care about most.

"Whether it’s for school, home, work or play, Parallels Desktop for Mac is the #1 choice of customers worldwide" said Serguei Beloussov, Chairman and CEO, Parallels. "Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac delivers again on our proven track record of innovation with over 80 new and enhanced features that provides the fastest, simplest and most immersive Windows on Mac experience ever."

The fastest just got faster! In product benchmark testing, results show Parallels Desktop 6 remains atop the performance rankings that people consider most important. 3D graphics run nearly 40 percent better than before1. Boot time for Windows is 41 percent faster than before. Parallels Desktop 6 also boosts speed for working with files on USB drives, networks and in shared folders.


Parallels also announced the availability of Parallels Desktop 6 Switch to Mac Edition, which includes Parallels Desktop 6 plus new features specifically designed to make the move from PC to Mac smart and simple.

"The Mac is more popular than ever, with millions of people moving to the Mac from Windows," said Ron Okamoto, Apple’s Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations. "Parallels does a great job of making it even easier for people to switch to the Mac and allowing them to run Windows applications if they need to, side-by-side with their Mac applications and without rebooting."

The Switch to Mac Edition provides a complete set of switching tools and includes a Parallels High-Speed USB data transfer cable. All of your programs, files, user settings and now even your browser favorites and bookmarks are automatically moved to your Mac. With one click, new pre-defined user profiles let you simply choose as little or as much Windows as you want. New on-demand interactive video tutorials make switching to the Mac a breeze.

More than 80 new and improved features of the Parallels Desktop 6 experience include:


Faster & More Powerful
● Launch Time: Run Windows applications 41 percent faster than Parallels Desktop 53
● Full 64-bit Engine: Take advantage of all of the capabilities of your 64-bit Mac and enjoy the fastest virtual machine performance yet

Immersive Graphics & Audio Experience
● 5.1 Surround Sound: Savor rich, immersive audio experiences for games, music and videos
● Enhanced 3D Graphics: Enjoy more life-like visual action and play a wider range of modern games with 40 percent improvement over Parallels Desktop 54

More Manageable
● Parental Control: Have peace of mind when children are online by applying the same parental controls you set for your Mac to your Windows applications
● VM Encryption: Protect data from being stolen by using built in virtual machine encryption

Simpler & Smarter
● Mac Shortcuts: Use Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts to make Windows applications work the way you do
● Personal Data Migration: Simplifies moving to Mac by automatically moving programs, data and media (i.e. My Documents, My Pictures, My Videos and My Downloads) to the appropriate folders on your Mac
● Web Browser Favorites: Parallels automatically moves your Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome settings and bookmarks from your PC to the default browser on your Mac
● Anti-virus Protection: Data protection with Parallels SmartGuard & SafeMode plus leading anti-virus protection for both Mac OS X and Windows with complimentary Kaspersky Internet Security 2011, Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac, Acronis True Image Home 2010 and Acronis Disk Director 2011 Home

Availability and Pricing
Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac will be available for download, as well as packaged software for delivery, from Parallels.com starting on Sept. 14. Packaged software will also be available at Apple retail stores and Apple.com, Amazon.com, Fry’s Electronics, MicroCenter and hundreds of other retail locations nationwide on Sept. 14. A free trial will also be available on this date.

The standard retail price (SRP) of Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac is $79.99 and a student edition is available for $39.99. Parallels Desktop 6 Switch to Mac Edition is $99.99.

Upgrades at $49.99 are available now for existing Parallels Desktop for Mac customers.

Customers who purchased Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac from an authorized reseller on or after August 15th, 2010, are eligible to upgrade to Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac at no additional cost, when it becomes available.

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