MacTech

Six 'MacTech' stories December 2010 - January 2013

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Parallels 8 beats out VMware Fusion 5 in extensive benchmark analysis

Jordan Kahn Jan 30 2013 - 10:08 am PT

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MacTech Magazine, which recently announced its upcoming MacTech BootCamp II, today looked at two of the most popular virtualization products for Mac with an in-depth benchmarking analysis of the most recent versions of Parallels Desktop 8 and VMware Fusion 5. We have seen Parallels 8 come out on top in benchmarks from previous reports, but this is by far the most comprehensive comparison.

MacTech put the two apps to the test in a number of areas including launching various OSes, application performance, 3D graphics tests, Retina Support, and much more. The conclusion: Parallels Desktop 8 won on the majority of general tests and 62 percent of 3D graphics tests.

In the vast majority of our overall tests, Parallels Desktop 8 won. Again, if you count up the general tests (including the top 3D graphics scores), Parallels won 56% of the tests by 10% or more. If you include all the tests where Parallels was at least 5% faster, as well as the balance of the 3DMark06 graphics tests, Parallels increased the lead further.

We recommend checking out MacTech’s lengthy analysis.

Parallels 8 for Mac currently sells for $55 on Amazon, while VMware Fusion 5 is available for as low as $46.99.

Join 9to5Mac and MacTech at CES 2013 Jan. 7 to Jan. 10 in Las Vegas

9to5 Staff Dec 17 2012 - 9:08 am PT

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9to5Mac will be at CES from Jan. 7 to Jan. 10 this year, and we’re hoping a lot of you will be there too.

This year, there’s a great deal about Apple products and technologies at CES and the first time this year, CES asked MacTech to provide a full day of Apple content, insight, and expertise. They’ve put together some of the best in the business to help CES attendees to understand what Apple is doing, where the opportunities are, and how they can make the most of what Apple and the Apple community have to offer. It’s the first time those in the general technology market can get insight from those people that live the Apple market every day – up close and personal.

This is not just for techs or geeks—it’s for the technology minded.

Aside from the MacTech Insight keynote, the sessions that fill the Jan. 10 day include:

– The Cloud, Apple Style
– Storage
– Windows on a Mac
– Engaging People with Technology
– Home Automation
– Taking App Concepts to Reality
– Managing Mobile Devices
– Backing Up, Protecting Your Data

Registration for MacTech Insight at 2013 CES is $350 $262* on the pre-registration until Jan. 2 and $500 on site. The registration also gives holders access to the CES Expo floor. *9to5Mac readers get 25 percent off by using the coupon code of MT25P. Information, registration, and more

Register for MacTech conference in Los Angeles Oct.17-19, we’ll be there!

Seth Weintraub Oct 1 2012 - 9:37 pm PT

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Before I started doing this blogging thing, I was an Apple IT guy/web developer for some mid-sized creative firms in New York and abroad (three cheers if you ever had to deploy OD/Active Directory integrated environments!). This month, I will attend my first MacTech Conference where like-minded Apple technology professionals gather to hone their skills and learn best practices for doing what we do (well, did in my case; MacTech didn’t exist when I was doing IT).

MacTech Conference is a three-day, immersive, technical conference specifically designed for Apple developers, IT Pros, and Enterprise. “The whole idea of MacTech Conference is to allow members of the Apple community to meet and exchange ideas,” said Conference Chair and Executive Editor of MacTech Magazine Edward Marczak. “This will be spurred on by presentations from some of the best and well-known experts in the community.”

MacTech Conference will have two separate tracks: one focused on programming / development, and the other on IT/Enterprise and consulting. Sessions will focus on desktop and mobile, as well as OS X and iOS.

Since 9to5Mac is a media sponsor this year, we have some exciting discounts to offer folks who are thinking about making the trip out to L.A. in two weeks: We can get you $100 off PLUS a MacTech subscription worth another $50 by using this link. That’s $899 for the L.A. conference and $295 for the bootcamps. There are also some fun activities planned throughout the three-day event, aside from all of the free meals…

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MacTech Conference 2012: Sessions, Speakers and Details

9to5 Staff Aug 6 2012 - 6:11 am PT

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PRESS RELEASE

Aug. 6, 2012, 8:41 a.m. EDT

MacTech Conference 2012: Sessions, Speakers and Details

World-class speakers, amazing sessions; pre-registration ends August 31st

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — MacTech Conference for Apple Developers and IT Pros, October 17-19, 2012 in Los Angeles, has released its main speaker and session list, as well as many details of the conference. The event: a three-day, information-packed event that will have sessions and activities throughout the day and evening. This immersive conference is hotel-based, giving attendees the opportunity to not only learn from the best, but also to meet new people and spend time with their peers as well. Information about the conference is at http://www.mactech.com/conference

“Our speaker page contains a list of some of the amazing people that will present and be in attendance at MacTech Conference 2012 (but expect a surprise guest or two). Some of the incredible topics that will be covered are now listed at http://www.mactech.com/conference/sessions ,” said Ed Marczak, Sessions Chair and Executive Editor, MacTech Magazine.

MacTech Conference is a multi-track event with a focus on both programming/development, as well as IT/Enterprise. Sessions will focus on both desktop and mobile with appropriate levels of attention paid to the Mac and iOS. Check out the speaker and topic list ( http://www.mactech.com/conference/sessions ) for specific sessions and speaker list.

The event will be held Wednesday through Friday, October 17-19. The conference kicks off at 10am on Wednesday and is packed with sessions using MacTech’s well-established running order format. The evenings are filled with special activities and events designed specifically to have fun and give attendees an opportunity to form bonds with their peers and meet new people.

“At past MacTech Conferences, between 98-100% of attendees said that they would recommend the Conference. We’ve been working hard to once again live up to expectations with a great environment, world-class speakers, incredible sessions, and fun activities. Edward R. Marczak (Conference Sessions Chair and IT Track Sessions Chair) and Steven Troughton-Smith (Developer Track Sessions Chair) have created a world-class line-up of world-class talent,” Neil Ticktin, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher of MacTech Magazine, said.

MacTech Conference is priced economically at $999 (pre-registration pricing) including all meals, a MacTech Magazine subscription, a schedule packed full of sessions, exclusive entertainment, and more. Registration is far ahead of last year — and guest rooms at the hotel are almost sold out. Pre-registration ends on August 31st, and attendees can still save $300 off the on-site registration price. Register at http://www.mactech.com/conference/register

A limited number of partial and full student scholarships are available. See http://www.mactech.com/conference/student for more information.

Available on a first-come, first-served basis, MacTech Conference attendees get a special rate of just $184 per night, which includes Internet access. The Sheraton is a quality venue with rooms that typically run $229.00 or more per night, plus tax, and with Internet access available for an additional fee. Available on a first-come, first-served basis, MacTech Conference attendees get a special rate.

Those interested in one of the many sponsorship offerings, see the details at http://www.mactech.com/conference/sponsorship

Remember, Pre-Registration pricing ends in just a couple of weeks: August 31st. http://www.mactech.com/conference/register

About MacTech Magazine

Established in 1984, MacTech Magazine is the only monthly magazine focused on Apple at the technical level. Each month, MacTech and MacTech.com is read by 150,000 technical Macintosh users in over 175 countries, from network administrators to programmers, from solution providers to Enterprise, and in general anyone that’s interested in the Macintosh beyond the user level.

If you’re interested in getting under the hood of your Mac, if you want to know how to make things happen inside the box, you should be reading MacTech Magazine. Contact the magazine. Toll-free: 877-MACTECH, International: 805-494-9797, custservice@mactech.com, http://www.mactech.com

Contact:

Neil TicktinMacTech Magazinemarketing@mactech.com805-494-9797

This press release was issued through eReleases® Press Release Distribution. For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com .

SOURCE MacTech Magazine

MacTech declares Parallels 7 the Virtualization performance champ on the Mac

Seth Weintraub Nov 2 2011 - 9:34 am PT

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Windows/Linux Virtualization on the Mac is mostly a 3 player game these days. You have the open source/free VirtualBox that was purchased by Oracle as part of its Sun acquisition two years ago. It is a basic emulator which works as a get what you pay for kind of basic functionality solution. Oracle isn’t big on free Open Source products so don’t expect it to get a lot better any time soon.

That leaves the two big players, Parallels and VMware Fusion. Both companies recently released updates to their software and both can now virtualize another instance of Mac OS X (great for developers who need to test their apps on older software or users who need applications that require Rosetta for instance). MacTech did a comprehensive set of Benchmarks and came away with a clear speed winner.

In almost every test, the $79 Parallels 7 beat the $49 VMware Fusion in speed (as you can see from the graphic above).

In the vast majority of overall our tests, Parallels Desktop 7 won. Again, if you count up the general tests (including the top 3D graphics scores), Parallels won 60% of the tests by 10% or more. And, if you include all the tests where Parallels was at least 5% faster, as well as the balance of the 3DMark06 graphics tests, Parallels increased the lead further. In other words, Parallels Desktop 7 beat VMware Fusion 4.0.2 in 74.9% of the general tests we ran, and Parallels was double the speed or more in almost a quarter of the top-level tests.

VMware obviously has a larger install base in the Enterprise with a longer history of virtualization on the PC. However with benchmarks leaning heavily toward Parallels, some Mac-focused businesses may start to tip toward Parallels.

We’ll have an in-depth look at Parallels 7 coming up as well as a contest where we’ll be handing out a few interesting prizes including a MacBook Air. Stay Tuned!

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MacTech: Parallels smokes VMWare

Seth Weintraub Dec 17 2010 - 3:16 pm PT

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We haven’t put the two head to head (been on Parallels exclusively for about a year personally), but the folks over at MacTech had a chance to run the latest versions of VMWare for Mac against Parallels 6 which was released just a few months ago (VMware Fusion 3.1.1 and Parallels Desktop 6.0.11828.615184) It appears that Parallels is the winner in both general and 3D tests.

Parallels 6 is available in Box form ($63) or for immediate download.

Full results will be posted in MacTech magazine next month. More below:
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