Nearly one year ago, Apple changed the personal computer industry dramatically when it released the beta version of Boot Camp, a software assistant. This move, which followed Apple's switch from PowerPC to Intel processing units, made the dream of running both Windows and Mac OS X on the same computer a reality.
Boot Camp gives Intel Mac owners the ability to dual-boot their machines with both Windows XP and Mac OS X, and even choose which one they want to be the default. This opened up a world of possibilities for anyone who enjoyed the unique aspects of each operating system. With Boot Camp, Mac users can play online games while running Windows, then simply restart their machines to listen to music or do video editing on the Mac OS. Though the software has its perks, the obvious inconvenience is having to restart to switch platforms. While Boot Camp is set to come out of the beta stage and be fully included in Mac's upcoming OS X "Leopard" release, computer users looking to attain the best of both worlds may consider going an alternate route: a route that doesn't involve rebooting.
Enter Parallels, a renowned developer of desktop virtualization software. Parallels Desktop for Mac is the company's latest software product, and it allows Intel Mac runners to create a Windows virtual machine and run both operating systems simultaneously.
To understand exactly what a virtual machine is, consider its similarities with a video game emulator, for example, an application that allows one to play "old-school" Nintendo or Sega games on a computer. Of course, computers don't actually have Nintendo components inside of them, but the application creates a virtualized environment in between Donkey Kong Country and the computer's hardware that allows the computer user to play the game. A virtual machine is similar to an emulator in that it allows users to run Windows, even if they are using OS X as their operating system.
Another question inevitably arises: Why can't we do the same thing on Windows? Well, we can, but don't expect to be able to create a virtual OS X anytime soon. While Parallels and other companies offer software allowing Windows users to virtualize Linux and various other operating systems, Apple has made clear its desire for OS X to be run exclusively on its own hardware.
Although Apple's permission is not actually needed, both Parallels and main competitor VMWare have stated that they will not virtualize OS X unless given Apple's blessing. Parallels is committed to a healthy working relationship with Apple, and with good reason: its product is currently displayed in Apple stores and even took home the MacWorld 2007 "Best in Show" award. Although the idea of running two platforms simultaneously may seem daunting, the necessary security measures have already been implemented. Virtual machines work as isolated files, and as a result, viruses or spyware from a virtual machine cannot affect the main operating system.
Additionally, while Boot Camp users need to partition their hard drives, allotting a certain amount of disc space for each operating system, virtual machines do not require such overhead.
Parallels includes support for the newest versions of Windows Vista as well as all other releases dating back to Windows 3.1 (for those of you in the market for a blast from the past).
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