Run Windows on Mac, group apps together, edit images using artificial intelligence
Run virtual Windows on your Mac
£69.99 FROM Parallels International, parallels.com NEEDS OS X 10.10.5 or later
When it comes to running virtual versions of Windows, Linux and even older iterations of OS X, Parallels Desktop is king. It’s well engineered and blends virtual machines (VMs) into your Mac desktop with features like Coherence, where you can run Windows apps in their own window as if native.
Version 13 – like its immediate predecessors – feels more of a point release than a major new version. Its main highlight is support for the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar inside Windows VMs. It’s context-sensitive, supporting major apps as well as replicating shortcut icons on the Windows Taskbar. Parallels can also incorporate Windows features into your Mac desktop; joining Cortana is the People Bar. This allows you to pin favourite contacts to the Windows Taskbar.
Picture-in-Picture mode lets you minimise all VM windows to thumbnail images. These float on top of other windows and update in real time.
Aside from a design refresh, there’s also the usual performance tweaks – faster opening of Windows files and better transfer speeds over USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt, plus improved rendering of scaled VM windows on Retina displays.