Nova Development, publishers of Print Explosion and other Mac software, have announced that they’re the exclusive retail publisher of Parallels Desktop for Macintosh, the virtualization software that enables Intel-based Macs to run Windows alongside Mac OS X. The retail package costs $79.95.
Parallels Desktop was released in June after an extensive public beta test. The software has been well received as an alternative to Apple’s Boot Camp, which requires users to reboot their Macs into Windows XP first.
While Parallels Desktop allows users to run Windows software, it doesn’t run quite as fast or have the same feature set as Windows does running natively on a Mac equipped with Boot Camp, but it’s a good alternative for users who want to run productivity software, database tools and other Windows-specific application software for which there is no Mac alternative. Parallels Desktop is also more flexible for operating system use, supporting a wide variety of X86-based operating systems besides Windows XP.
It’s been widely rumored that Leopard, the next major release of Mac OS X expected to be unveiled at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in August, will feature some form of virtualization that may make Parallels Desktop and Boot Camp unnecessary, but in the interim, they’re both available for Mac users who want or need to run Windows software alongside Mac OS X software.
Since its release in June, Parallels Desktop has been available for sale from the Parallels Web site, but the software hasn’t had any presence in retail stores. With Nova Development’s announcement, Parallels Desktop will be available on the shelves of major retail store locations across the United states, including Apple retail stores, CompUSA, Staples, Office Depot, Fry’s Electronics, Amazon.com and others. The retail kit includes printed documentation and quick start for the software.
Nova is also offering a $20 rebate for users who buy Parallels Desktop and pick up a copy of Windows XP within 14 days.
Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.