The Parallels operating system brings some Windows funtionality to your Mac, for those who need or want both operating system environments. Read more below, and if you use Parallels, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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It is not a silver bullet. Windows presents upgrade problems, MacOS presents upgrade problems, applications present upgrade problems, and Parallels creates its own upgrade problems.
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We’ve updated our review to cover the latest version of Parallels for desktop.
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One wonders, given that Apple is a walled garden, whether software such as Parallels creates a security risk. While it is run in a VM, it is clear from the review that Parallels allows movement of files between OSs - not the best idea if you want to protect the host (in this case, MacOS).
From the review:
…go for 16GB (gigabytes) of RAM or more.
I would suggest that regardless of the OS any new computer should have at least 16GB.
It is interesting to see the comments at the end of the CHOICE review, as well as the responses by CHOICE staff. These largely relate to the 2016 review, and I particularly like the suggestion from Baldrick9 that CHOICE consider comparing Parallels alongside alternatives.
The last comment on the review mentions that you still need to buy Windows in order to use it on your Mac. If you own a recent version of Windows, Windows 10 is still free. (Microsoft has not stated whether it intends to start charging any time soon, but free is a lot better than the current list price.)
If you run Windows you already have access to Linux.
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And the access to Linux in Windows is improving:
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This. I chose to go with VirtualBox.
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Yep a Windows VirtualBox works very well and you can swap data between both the Real & VM systems quite easily. For anyone seeking details about VirtualBox see https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch01.html
Others prefer VMware Fusion but this is a paid for product and a bit of a cost to many.
Between Fusion, Parallels and Virtualbox, I do prefer Fusion, but as you say, the cost is an issue. Parallels just wasnt up to scratch, I owned P5 but still chose VBox.
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Most important for most users in VBox is to get the Guest Additions as these enable Display Features etc that improve the experience.
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The nice thing is that it does complain if you dont install them 
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Parallels Desktop for Mac 16 doesn’t run on the latest Mac computers containing Apple’s M1 chip. They are working on a new version that will work with Apple silicon but, as I understand it, it is a major endeavour, so I wouldn’t hold your breath.
I reckon the article should mention this, especially since the article was published after the new Macs were released.
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