Rosetta 2 for Apple silicon Macs is the latest in a line of emulators and virtual machines that Apple has released to provide continuity across hardware and operating system transitions. What’s next to come? A full Intel chip emulator for Apple’s M-series ARM chips? We’ll see.
The new M1-based Macs can’t run traditional Windows, which requires a computer with an Intel chip, but Windows Insiders can run an ARM-based version not usually available to consumers, and it may be more useful than it might seem.
Adds support for macOS 11.0 Big Sur and introduces free Fusion 12 Player for non-commercial use. (Free/$149.99/$199.99 new, upgrades available, 612 MB, macOS 10.15+)
Major upgrade for the popular virtualization software brings speed enhancements and support for macOS 11 Big Sur. ($79.99 annual subscription for standard edition or $99.99 perpetual license, 199 MB, macOS 10.13.6+)
Brings bug fixes and important security patches to the standard and Pro editions of the virtualization package. ($79.99/$159.99 new, free update, 519 MB)
Adds support for macOS 10.15 Catalina, Windows 10 v19H2, and Oracle Linux 8.0. ($79.99/$159.99 new, free update, 518 MB)
While macOS 10.15 Catalina won’t support old 32-bit apps, you can keep them running indefinitely on your Mac by installing a copy of 10.14 Mojave in a Parallels Desktop virtual machine.
Addresses issues with Insider Preview beta releases of Windows 10 and Office for Windows. ($79.99 annual subscription for standard edition, $99.99 annual subscription for Pro and Business Editions, 204 MB)
Code42 has announced that it will be preventing CrashPlan users from backing up applications and VM image files—is this just a selfish move to reduce storage needs? After chatting with Code42 competitor Backblaze, Adam Engst discovers there’s more to it. And there are alternatives.
Addresses issues with Insider Preview beta releases of Windows 10 and Office for Windows. ($79.99 anual subscription for standard edition, $99.99 annual subscription for Pro and Business Editions, 204 MB)
Adds support for new Windows releases. ($79.99/$159.99 new, $49.99/$119.99 upgrades, 495 MB)
Provides host and guest OS support for macOS 10.14 Mojave, plus other enhancements. ($79.99/$159.99 new, $49.99/$119.99 upgrades, 495 MB)
Major update for the virtualization software adds support for macOS 10.14 Mojave and optimizes virtual machine storage space. ($79.99 anual subscription for standard edition (upgrade available), $99.99 annual subscription for Pro and Business Editions, 198 MB)
Fixes bugs in the popular virtualization software. ($79.99 new for standard edition, $99.99 annual subscription for Pro/Business Edition, free update, 252 MB)