The Tech Bench

Parallels Desktop 5 was released today with full support for running Windows 7 on Snow Leopard.

Like previous versions, Parallels allows you to run Windows or other OSs while running your Mac OS. You don’t need to restart or create separate partitions to run Windows.

Here are some of the new features with version 5:

- Full 32 bit and 64 bit support for Windows 7 and 10.6 support.

- Windows Aero effects and 3d flip support (prettier Windows.)

- Mulit touch support for Windows.

- More device support including the Apple Remote.

- Faster load times (up to 3x)

- Enchaned copy and paste between Windows and Mac.

Parallels Desktop 5 is available for download today for $79 ($49 upgrade)

Although we prefer Parallels, VMWare Fusion 3 has similar features and is identically priced.

Today is Windows 7 launch day. It’s been time for some time Microsoft.

With Windows 7 receiving positive reviews and reactions from users, there is obviously a lot of comparison to Snow Leopard.

While few Mac users are likely to make the switch (back) to Windows with this release, Windows 7 is very much welcome.

So why is Windows 7 good for Mac users?

In a word, competition.

PC manufactures have long been limited by running XP or the generally panned Vista on their computers and have since been competing more on cost than on features users want.

While this has helped Apple gain market share and build their brand as an alternative to the low end Windows experience, overall innovation in the computer industry, especially in the high end, has suffered.

The perception alone that Windows 7 is a good, solid OS, should embolden PC manufacturers. If Windows 7 enables and encourages PC makers to deliver the same (or near) level of quality, integration and innovation that Apple produces, this will be a net win for Mac users.

If we see more competition in the high end, the overall market will benefit from the innovation.

Hopefully this will step up the features in Apple hardware and OS 10.7. I for one can’t wait!

If we can download a movie from iTunes, why can’t we download Snow Leopard?

In the past, the two main obstacles for downloading full versions of an OS were piracy concerns and bandwidth requirements.

As Apple has successfully demonstrated with HD movie rentals, these are both already overcome. HD movie rentals are 3+ GB downloads and the Apple DRM is pretty hard to crack. At 6.74 GB, Snow Leopard would be a big download, but still very doable for users with high-speed internet.

Pros for Legal OS Downloads

Easy to buy. Instant gratification. Don’t need a working DVD drive (MacBook Air and problematic SuperDrives.) Save on packaging and shipping costs.

Cons for Legal OS Downloads

Hard to do a clean install (could be overcome with net enabled EFI or the option to backup to a disk.) Apple’s bandwidth cost for serving up the downloads (made up for in packaging and shipping costs?) Box retailers won’t get a cut of the profit (this could also be a pro:)

While there is still value in the actual disks to some users, adding a download option would make upgrading the OS faster, easier and greener.

As the App Store continues to take off and bandwidth continues to get faster, I’d say there’s a good chance that we’ll see 10.7 offered as a legal download.

What apps work (and don’t work) with Snow Leopard?

There is a free Snow Leopard compatibly wiki that has a nice list of 3rd party apps and their 10.6 compatibility.

Different versions of software are also listed so you can see if your version of a particular app is 10.6 friendly.

Notes from the developer and known issues are also listed.

Good to check before upgrading or to see if a new app will work with 10.6.

[ Snow Leopard Compatibility Wiki ]

There’s just a few more hours to claim your free copy of Snow Leopard. At midnight tonight our promotion ends, so hurry and get it free while you can. I just installed my copy and have given and old MacBook Pro a new lease on life. Here’s a couple reasons to upgrade-

Speed The Finder has been given a performance boost. Time Machine backups are faster. Wake from sleep and shutdown also show visible performance increases.

Exchange Support Need to interface with an Exchange server? Now there’s support right out of the box. With the announcement from Microsoft that they’ll be releasing Outlook for the Mac, both are expected to make a great combination.

Place an order for any hard drive upgrade (for intel Macs) between 8/26 and 8/31, add the Snow Leopard upgrade, and enter the promo code SNOW.

We’ll install Snow Leopard for free, migrate your data and you’ll get to keep the retail copy. Image courtesy of Apple.

[ MyService Hard Drive Upgrades ]

We’re doing a lot of Snow Leopard upgrades today from our Free Snow Leopard promotion.

So far, so good. Average install time is about 1 hour and we’ve had no installation problems.

The only disappointment so far has been that the welcome video and music has not changed from 10.5. While that may seem trivial, when you hear the same welcome song a hundred times a day, you look forward to a new track.

If you’ve received your Snow Leopard disk or are planning to upgrade this weekend, we’d say you’re good to go. Just remember to backup first and run Software Update before installing Snow Leopard.

MyService is giving away Mac OS X Snow Leopard!

From now until the end of August, we’ll include a free retail copy of Mac OS X Snow Leopard with any MacBook, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air hard drive upgrade.

Here’s how it works:

Place an order for any hard drive upgrade (for intel Macs) between 8/26 and 8/31, add the Snow Leopard upgrade, and enter the promo code SNOW.

We’ll install Snow Leopard for free, migrate your data and you’ll get to keep the retail copy.

[ MyService Hard Drive Upgrades ]

Apple has announced that the new version of OS X, Snow Leopard, will be released on Friday August 28th.

The single user version is $29 and a family pack (up to 5 computers) is available for $49. You must have an intel processor and 10.5 Leopard installed to upgrade to 10.6 Snow Leopard.

Snow Leopard Server (unlimited client) will be made available at the same time for $499.

Pre-orders online at the Apple Store will be delivered on the 28th so you can avoid any of the retail day of release hoopla (unless you like the hoopla.)

While Snow Leopard is billed as more of an update to 10.5 than a brand new OS, we still recommend checking for any installation issues before installing Snow Leopard.

Backup your data, check Twitter/Blogs and install. [ Snow Leopard ]

Apple has released details on the Snow Leopard up-to-date program.

If customers purchase a new or Apple certified refurbished Mac on or after June 8, they can upgrade to Snow Leopard for $9.95 (instead of $29.)

For Xserve customers who purchase a new or certified Xserve on or after June 8, they can upgrade to Snow Leopard Server for the same $9.95.

You must complete an order form from Apple within 60 days of purchase, or by December 26, whichever is earlier.

If you’ve purchased multiple Macs (say a couple for the family,) you can either purchase a copy for each one separately ($9.95 each) or request the right to copy one upgrade for the other Macs. I know which option I’d go for.

[ Program Details & Order Form ]

The next version of Apple’s OS X operating system, Snow Leopard, is due out this September.

This new OS (10.6) is being billed as “evolutionary” rather than “revolutionary.” So what exactly does that mean?

Well for starters, the cost of Snow Leopard will be $29 (for current Leopard owners) rather than the traditional $129 that Apple has charged for new versions of OS X in the past. If you buy a new Mac from June 8th on, you’ll get the upgrade for $9.95. No word yet on upgrading from Tiger (10.4)

Snow Leopard will require an Intel-based Mac and is optimized for the intel platform. Here are some of the key features being touted:

Smaller, faster, more efficient OS

Since Snow Leopard is built from the ground up to take advantage of muli-core and 64-bit Intel chips, the Finder is more responsive to everyday tasks like starting up, shutting down and opening apps. Installation time is up to 45% faster (great for businesses and schools) and the OS takes up 50% less disk space than before (actually freeing up 6GB when upgrading from 10.5.)

Grand Central and Open CL

Processor speeds haven’t been increasing much lately, instead processors have been adding cores to get more power (think of it as 4 V-6 engines rather than one V-24.) Apple’s new Grand Central technology helps the OS get the most out of these cores and speed up everything dramatically. As the graphics chips (GPU) continue to get more and more powerful, Open CL is an evolving technology that allows everyday apps to take advantage of this processing power. By better utilizing the current generation of hardware, Snow Leopard increases speed across the board.

Finder Tweaks & Exchange Support

While the UI improvements are not being touted as much on this release (hence the “evolutionary” term) there are some new goodies to get excited about. Expose is now integrated into the dock for easier access and the trackpad is getting more attention with a new Rotor feature that allows fast navigation when used with Voice control. Built-in Microsoft Exchange support is included which will further allow Macs to play nice in corporate networks.

When Snow Leopard was announced, we really liked the idea of taking the time to refine the current OS X (Leopard)  before trying to create a whole new OS. From what we’ve seen at WWDC, the OS is shaping up nicely. Unlocking the speed of the current generation of hardware and the built-in Exchange support should really help Apple keep their current customers happy while appealing to a broader audience.

[ Apple's Snow Leopard Site ]