Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac announced

30 August, 2012 - Paul Dixon
Parallels Desktop 8

Parallels has today announced the launch of Parallels Desktop 8 – the latest version of its popular popular virtualization software for the Mac. Parallels 8 brings with it a number of new features and improvements including OS X Mountain Lion and Windows 8 integration, and support for the MacBook Pro with Retina display.

Other new features and improvements include:

  • OS X Mountain Lion gestures such as pinching to zoom, three-finger dragging, and two-finger scrolling, can be used with Windows applications
  • Windows notification integration with OS X Mountain Lion’s Notification Centre
  • Files can be attached and shared with Windows email clients by dragging and dropping them onto icons in the OS X dock
  • OS X Mountain Lion’s Dictation tool can be used in both Mac and Windows environments
  • Windows applications can be added to the OS X Launchpad
  • Up to 30% speed increase compared to its predecessor

Current Parallels desktop users can upgrade to version 8 today, while new customers will be able to purchase a full copy of the software from the 4th of September.

The upgrade edition of Parallels 8 is priced at £34.99 ($49.99), though customers who bought the previous version of the software (Parallels 7) after the 25th of July are entitled to a free upgrade.

The full version of Parallels 8 costs £64.99 ($79.99), though VMware Fusion users making the switch to Parallels can pick up a copy for £34.99 ($49.99).

About the author

Paul Dixon is the owner of Macsessed. He lives in Lancashire in the UK where he works as a web designer. You can find him on and Twitter.