Beta Update of Parallels Desktop Released

Parallels on Tuesday issued the Beta version of an update to Parallels Desktop for Mac, which enables Intel Mac users to run Windows within a window in Mac OS X. The update offers support for more USB devices, including Windows Mobile 5 devices, the ability to switch off the hard disk cache to improve performance, better graphics performance, complete keyboard support, and more.

According to an article at MacCentral, future plans for Parallels Desktop for Mac include CD and DVD burning, support for Windows Vista, and "fast 3D graphics support," which will apparently enable the running of hardware-intensive games that currently donit work with the software.

Parallels will issue the final version of the update "in the next few weeks." Parallels Desktop sells for US$79.99.