Parallels is doing a good job in launching its virtualization offering while competing against giants like VMware and Microsoft.
This time the company beaten on time both of them launching the Parallels Workstion 2.1 for Intel Mac OS X beta program.
Quoting from the Parallels official announcement:
Parallels announced today that it is beginning beta testing for Parallels Workstation 2.1 for Mac OS X, the first virtualization software that gives Apple users the ability to simultaneously run Windows, Linux or any other operating system and their applications alongside Mac OS X on an Intel-powered Apple computer.
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New and existing Parallels users are welcome to download and evaluate a free, fully-functional 30-day trial of Parallels Workstation 2.1 for Mac OS X at www.parallels.com/download/mac.
Beta users can submit comments, suggestions and feedback by visiting http://www.parallels.com/en/mac, or by sending an email to [email protected].
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The solution takes advantage of Apple’s inclusion of Intel Core Duo architected chips into all new Macintosh computer models. Because the Intel Core Duo chipset is x86-compatible, the Parallels virtualization engine can easily virtualize the hardware, thus enabling Macintosh users to build virtual machines running nearly any x86-compatible OS, including Windows 3.1-XP/2003, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, OS/2, eComStation, and MS-DOS.
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The GA (general availability) release of the product is expected in the next several weeks. Apple users should be aware that the Parallels Workstation for Mac OS X works with any Intel-powered Apple computer running Mac OS 10.4.4 or higher. The product is not compatible with PowerPC-powered Apple computers…