Could Apple Buy Parallels?
There’s some interesting discussion going on at Ronald Heft’s blog regarding the Parallels virtualization software. Parallels software has become very popular among Intel Mac users, letting them simultaneously run Windows. The latest Parallels beta has a spiffy Coherence mode that lets you run Window applications on your OS X desktop and not be confined to a little window. Ron talks about how Parallels has been working hard to add more and more features to their product without charging extra.
I might be completely wrong, but to me it looks like something is going on behind the scenes. If Apple has purchased Parallels, I think that explains why the Parallels team has been releasing features out the wazoo without charging for them. This won’t be the first time Apple has included third party software in one of their offerings, so I think this scenario is completely possible.
While I believe that Apple once tried to compete with their Boot Camp offering, Parallels has come a long way and has accrued many more users than Boot Camp. Parallels is almost necessary for web developers, such as Jeff Croft, to utilize for Internet Explorer 7 testing.
A screenshot by Jeff Croft showing off Parallels coherence mode.
Do you think there’s any possibility of Apple purchasing a company like Parallels? Well then again if Apple was interested they would likely just license Parallels’ OS X virtualization software as Parallels also makes Windows products. I think there is a slight chance that Apple is interested in Parallels. Remember CoverFlow? Apple bought that for use in iTunes 7, so why not integrate Parallels into Leopard?
Paul -
I think Apple is really set in their ways when it comes to Boot Camp. Can you just IMAGINE the influx of calls Apple’s already over worked call center would get if they had to start fending off Windows questions.
I’m voting that Boot Camp will be Apple defacto Windows option
Because that would advocate usage of Windows, which doesn’t make sense in Apple’s eyes. =)
I would love to see Apple acquire Parallels and put some true funding into the project. Knowing the pace of development going on at Parallels, just imagine how honed and perfected Parallels will be with Apple behind them. I don’t see how Parallels would bring in an influx of Windows related questions compared to using Boot Camp.
I thought I read somewhere (maybe rumor site) that virtualization would be built in to 10.5 (e.g. Parallels) that would let users run Windows apps within OS X. Anyone have any links?
So im getting my parents their first iMac (24-inch) for xmas and they still want to run windows programs, which one do you guys recommend?
Bootcamp? or Parallels?
I say Apple should buy Parallels (obviously offer jobs to the Parallels team) and intergrate BootCamp and Parallels together into OS X.
So that rather than accessing an emulated partition it would access the actual os partition without needing a restart.
Apple: no interest in Virtualization for 10.5
http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2277
Silly to need an extra operating system just to run an app.
I would rather Apple ignored both Parallels and Bootcamp
and put their resources into something like Wine.
I for one would love to see Apple take over Parallels and integrate into Leopard. With the latest beta Parallels have definately taken a step towards exactly the thing I’ve been looking for since I bought my first Mac with Windows-capability (intel-mac) I have Windows XP installed via Boot Camp, and have been able to boot into windows when I need to do some work there (Visio, Outlook etc.) But now I can simply fire up Parallels, boot into my Boot Camp partition and thanks to coherence-mode, use Outlook og Visio side by side with my mac-application, how is that for seamless integration?
Thank you parallels!
Parallels was bought about 1 year ago in a hush hush agreement (if that exists these days) and it is owned by Swsoft http://www.swsoft.com/.
I doubt that they are going to sell it in the booming virtualization market with tought competition from vmware, virtualbox, and others…
> Remember CoverFlow? Apple bought that for use in iTunes 7
Apple also bought SoundJam to create iTunes 1.
> Parallels was bought about 1 year ago in a hush hush agreement
> (if that exists these days) and it is owned by Swsoft
How do you know Apple doesn’t own Swsoft? Who does “hush hush agreement” sound like? Apple does this all the time because they are really famous … it’s like George Clooney checking into a hotel as “John Smith” … when Apple wants to be quiet they are very quiet.
Apple has already said that they are not developing their own in-house virtualization software because “the R&D costs would be prohibitive” and “we are really happy with Parallels” and Parallels is featured in the Get A Mac campaign. But since Parallels is charging for their software right now they can afford to do that R&D … the project is funded right now whereas at Apple it couldn’t be until it is included with Mac OS X.