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Parallels, a virtualization application vendor, Monday released the newest version of its Desktop for Mac product which allows owners of Intel-based Mac computers to simultaneously run Windows and other operating systems without rebooting.
The US$79.99 product should be popular not only with owners of the latest Macs but also with companies in the design and creative fields that love their Macs but need Windows for business applications, said David Perry, principal analyst at Freeform Dynamics, a UK-based industry analyst and research company.
The Parallels virtualization software is far more user-friendly than Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) 
Boot Camp, Perry told MacNewsWorld. "Boot Camp is just running Windows XP on Mac hardware in a separate partition. You have to shut down the computer and restart," he added. "Parallels sits on top of the Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) hardware and can run Windows in one virtual container and OS X in another. It will support 
other operating systems, as well."
Take Your Old PC With You
The new "Transporter" and "Coherence" features are the most exciting, Benjamin Rudolph, marketing manager at Parallels told MacNewsWorld. "This particular release is very important for Mac users everywhere," he said. "Parallels Transporter allows you to migrate the entire contents of your PC to your Mac. If you are on a Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) or HP (NYSE: HPQ) you can actually bring that whole machine with you over to your new Mac so there's no reason not to upgrade [to a Mac] at this point."
Coherence allows users to run Windows applications on the OS X desktop "just like they were native Mac applications," according to Rudolph.
Asserting Coherence is "probably the coolest thing we've come up with when it comes to virtualization," he claimed. "You don't even see Windows, you just see the applications you want to use all working in their own independent windows. It really shifts the view from 'Which OS do I need?' to 'Which application do I need to get the job done?' and it takes virtualization one step farther."
The new Parallels version has been in beta testing for two to three months.
Best of Both Worlds
Parallels will enjoy strong sales of the new release, Perry predicted. "I think that there is a significant group of professionals out there who are buying their own hardware and who like to use Mac applications personally but need to run certain Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) applications for business," he noted. "They're not necessarily that cost-sensitive and this is a brilliant solution for them. It's like having your cake and eating it."
All registered customers will receive the new update for free, the company said.
It also noted the new version supports Windows Vista, USB 2.0 and includes a full-featured virtual CD/DVD drive that allows burning of CDs and DVDs in virtual machines as well as playback of any copy-protected discs.
The new version brings a "new look and feel" with "completely redesigned windows and easier to follow dialogs, Parallels stated. It also contains true drag-and-drop functionality, "a long awaited feature that lets you seamlessly drag and drop files and folders from Windows to Mac OS X and vice versa."
In addition, graphics speed is improved by up to 50 percent, the company said.
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