Parallels Access puts Mac and PC apps on your iPad for $79.99
Parallels is best known for its virtualization software that lets Mac owners seamlessly run Microsoft's Windows OS. But today the company is taking up another mission: it's attempting to bring desktop apps to the iPad …
Context & Ripple Effects
Parallels built its position around making Windows and Mac software coexist, including a 2009 release focused on blending Mac and Windows applications. Its 2010 mobile virtualization demonstration for iPad and iPhone pointed toward extending that compatibility work beyond the desktop.
Parallels Access turns that direction into a paid iPad product: rather than limiting the company’s value proposition to running another operating system on a Mac, it makes existing Mac and PC applications reachable from Apple’s tablet. The breadth of same-day pickup shows the launch drew attention across Apple, mobile, and enterprise-technology outlets.
First-order effects
- iPad owners can pay $79.99 to use applications kept on their Mac or PC, while Parallels gains a product line aimed at mobile access rather than only desktop virtualization.
- Mac and PC users gain an iPad-based route to their established software, reducing the immediate need to replace every desktop workflow with an iPad-native alternative.
Second-order effects
- Desktop software vendors can reach iPad users through their customers’ existing Mac and PC installations, without first producing a separate iPad version.
- Native iPad software makers face a narrower advantage where buyers value continuity with established desktop applications more than a tablet-specific interface.
Third-order effects
- If remote access proves acceptable for regular work, the competitive unit shifts from the device’s local app catalog toward access to applications and files already tied to another computer.
- Parallels’ move extends the long-running separation of software from a single operating-system device, from running Windows and Mac OS side by side to accessing desktop software from a tablet.
The trend: Business and consumer software workflows are beginning to span multiple devices by preserving access to existing desktop applications rather than requiring a native app on every screen.