Parallels Desktop 27

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Originally published at: https://tidbits.com/watchlist/parallels-desktop-27/

Parallels has issued version 27 of its Parallels Desktop for Mac virtualization software with support for macOS 27 Golden Gate. The release brings a new Metal-based graphics driver with OpenGL 4.3 support, expanding the range of supported professional Windows applications (such as ArcGIS Pro, ZWCAD, and Blender 4.3) and improving performance by up to 2.6 times over the previous graphics driver. All editions (Standard, Pro, and Business) enable AI Windows and Linux virtual machines to use Apple’s SME CPU feature on M4 and M5 chips to help accelerate matrix-heavy workloads like local AI inference, and they address multiple security vulnerabilities in the virtual networking stack, virtual GPU command processing, and VirtIO subsystem. Parallels Desktop 27 is an Apple silicon-native app and no longer supports Intel-based Macs (though version 26 will still receive periodic support for Intel-based Macs), and it now requires at least macOS 14 Sonoma. As of this writing, all three editions of Parallels Desktop 27 have discounted annual subscription prices for a limited time: Standard for $54.99, Pro for $65.99, and Business for $97.49. Standard is also available for $219.99 as a one-time purchase. (Normal pricing: $99.99 annual subscription for Standard Edition, $119.99 annual subscription for Pro Edition, $149.99 annual subscription for Business Edition, upgrades available, 5.4 MB installer, release notes, macOS 14+)

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Thank you for the update. As a heavy Windows Excel 365 / Power Query user, I do not see a compelling reason to update to this new version unless the upgrade from Tahoe to Golden Gate makes Parallels 26 to start having issues. It seems more focused on AI, graphical applications and games.

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I just upgraded a few days ago. My primary use case is to play an old Mahjong game (MyMahj GL). After the upgrade it now requires three mouse clicks to do what formerly required only one. And this is variable, as if the user input gets out of sync. I tried reverting to version 26 but haven’t figured out how to do that yet. On top of which they’ve now moved to an annual subscription model. Not a smart move on my part.