Parallels, makers of the popular Parallels Desktop virtual machine software that allows users to run Windows, Linux, and various other operating systems as virtual machines on your Mac, has launched a brand new iPad app called Parallels Access. The app, which requires am $80 per year subscription service, might be one of the most unique new apps we’ve seen in a while, allowing iPad users to run Mac or Windows apps on their device almost as if the apps were native.
From the official Parallels Access website:
It’s your Software. Use it Anywhere.
Parallels Access ‘applifies’ your Windows and Mac applications, letting you remotely access and experiencethem as if they were made for iPad. Tap, swipe, pinch and scroll any Mac or PC software application – even if they were not optimized for the iPad – and get more done on-the-go!
Low-bandwidth connections no longer have the power to stop you. Parallels Access holds your connection so you can keep on working with fewer interruptions. Business applications, games, and even streaming video – we keep you connected to your universe.
It’s your mobile experience the way it should be.
What separates Parallels Access from being just another remote access app is that it focuses on individual Mac or PC applications rather than fussing with the Windows or Mac OS interface at all. The result is the ability to use your Mac and PC apps in a way that is custom tailored to your iPad – almost as if they were native apps. It even features full support for streaming video and audio, file uploading and downloading, and so forth.
In essence, Parallels Access allows you to interact with and use your desktop apps in the exact same way you would interact with a native app from the App Store. What’s more. the ability to use the iPad’s gestures with some of these apps unlocks a level of usefulness you may otherwise never have realized using a given app on your desktop by itself.
We’ve had the opportunity to use Parallels Access for a few days now – and despite being priced a bit steeply at $79.99 per year, I can report that I’ve found no real flaws with it. It works beautifully. It will enable me to do far more work using my iPad that I’d normally use my Mac for. Indeed, I can really see this changing the way I use my personal technology as a whole – and that is something truly magical indeed.
The service requires you down download the free Parallels Access app from the App Store, sign up for the service through the app (everyone gets a 30-day free trial), then simply install the desktop client on your Mac. A beta version of the Windows-based client is also available. For more information, or to get started, check out the official Parallels Access website – and check out the clip below to see it in action!
