Parallels Desktop 10 makes it easier to run Windows on a Mac

Fall is around the corner, which means a new version of OS X is almost here. That also means a new version of Parallels, the software that lets you run Windows on a Mac, is almost here, too, and this time there’s a big emphasis on speed. With Parallels Desktop 10 installed on your Mac, you won’t just be able to run Windows on a “virtual machine” within your Mac, you’ll be able to do it significantly faster then previous generations. Windows documents open 48% faster, and Office 2013 apps launch 50% faster, the company claims. At the same time, battery life is extended up to 30%, and the Windows “machine” uses 10% less memory.

Being locked into one software ecosystem is the cruel fate that awaits anyone who loves technology. On our desktops and smartphones, we build prisons with companies who want our complete fealty to their apps and services. Luckily, tools exist to help liberate us from these self-imposed bonds and Parallels, a company that’s been in the software business for 14 years, may have made it as easy and efficient as ever. Launching today, Parallels Desktop 10 for Mac brings the upcoming Mac OS, Yosemite, into its popular Parallels desktop visualization platform. The software aims to seamlessly blend OS X and Windows on Mac machines, not just through visual aesthetics alone, but also integrating Apple services, Mac usability and data syncing into Windows, all without needing to reboot into a partition. Yosemite pretty much guides this edition’s approach to design and user-friendliness. Parallels takes some cues from Apple, primarily its flat icons, and applies the same style to all Windows applications. Parallels 10 even pays attention to the granular details.