New Parallels Software Helps PC Users Become Mac Users

Is Apple’s new fast and light Snow Leopard looking pretty good? Did Justin Long have you at “Hello, I’m a Mac”? If so, software maker Parallels now offers Desktop Switch to Mac Edition software for consumers wanting to transition from a PC to a Mac.
The software, which the user installs on both computers and then connects with an included USB cable, enables the safe transfer of all files, offers tutorials and tips for acquainting PC users with Macs, and lets users run Windows alongside Mac OS X. Outlook, for example, can run alongside Mac applications, and Mac features such as Expos??« and Spaces with Windows programs, using a feature called “coherence.”
Coherence also extends to features such as showing all of a user’s documents, whether the Documents folder is selected in Windows or OS X.
The software comes at a time when the transition of PC users to Macs is on the rise. According to data from IDC, the overall PC industry saw declines of 3 percent for the second quarter of 2009, while Apple sales were up 4 percent year over year.
In its third quarter report for fiscal year 2009, Apple announced that half the Macs sold in its stores were to customers who had never owned a Mac before.
“The growth in switching is partially due to the ease-of-use and cool capabilities of the Mac, said Serguei Beloussov, CEO of Parallels, in a statement. “However, users don’t want to lose the data they have accumulated and the applications they are already familiar with.”
Beloussov says that Parallels has addressed this concern with tools that make the Apple OS easy for new users to learn, while offering the ability to additionally run Windows on a Mac.
Parallels Desktop 4.0 Switch to Mac Edition is now available at Apple stores, Apple.com and some retail partners. It’s available in English, German and French, and has a suggested retail price of $99.99.