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Parallels M1 Mac support in development as Big Sur update lands

Corel has confirmed that the company is working Parallels M1 Mac support as it announces an update with full support for Big Sur on Intel Macs …

There was a hint in the form of a one-sentence note in a press release about the update to 16.1.1 (our emphasis).

Note that currently available versions of Parallels Desktop cannot run virtual machines on Macs with the Apple M1 chip.

But the company has gone further and confirmed that an M1 version is on the way.

A new version of Parallels Desktop for Mac that can run on Mac with Apple M1 chip is already in active development.

When Apple Silicon Mac was first announced during the keynote at WWDC on June 22 of this year, Apple demoed a Parallels Desktop for Mac prototype running a Linux virtual machine flawlessly on Apple Silicon. Since WWDC, our new version of Parallels Desktop which runs on Mac with Apple M1 chip has made tremendous progress. We switched Parallels Desktop to universal binary and optimized its virtualization code; and the version that we are eager to try on these new MacBook Air, Mac mini and MacBook Pro 13″ looks very promising. Parallels is also amazed by the news from Microsoft about adding support of x64 applications in Windows on ARM.

It follows yesterday’s news that CrossOver 20 is now compatible with M1 Macs.

CodeWeavers announced that CrossOver 20 now works on Apple Silicon Macs, which means that the new M1 Macs can run Windows software right on macOS.

If you’re unfamiliar with CrossOver, it’s a platform based on the open-source Wine project that can run the Windows environment on macOS and Linux. In other words, it allows users to install and run Windows software on other operating systems without even installing a full version of Windows as you do on a virtual machine.

Parallels remains limited to Intel Macs for the moment, but does now offer full functionality under Big Sur.

Parallels, a global leader in cross-platform solutions and creator of industry-leading software for running Windows applications on a Mac, today announced that Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac version 16.1.1 now fully supports macOS Big Sur as both a host and guest operating system (OS) […]

“Fully integrating macOS Big Sur is an exciting new chapter for Parallels Desktop and will bring an even more robust experience to our customers,” said Nick Dobrovolskiy, Parallels Senior Vice President of Engineering and Support. “Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac adds innovative new capabilities including 3D support in Metal on macOS Big Sur, faster DirectX and additional performance improvements. Parallels Desktop makes it easier than ever to run every macOS and Windows applications, so users are able to engage with anyone on any device, anywhere.”

Parallels 16 adds several new features also.

DirectX 11 and OpenGL 3: Up to 20 percent faster DirectX 11 and improved OpenGL 3 graphics in Windows and Linux.

Increased battery life: Stay productive on the go with up to 10 percent longer battery life when Windows runs in Travel Mode.

Automatically reclaim disk space: Virtual machines (VMs) can be set to automatically return unused disk space when shutting down.

New multi-touch gestures for Windows apps: Use smooth zoom and rotate Trackpad multi-touch gestures in Windows apps.

Enhanced printing: Print on both sides and use more paper sizes, from A0 to envelope.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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