Parallels announced the immediate availability of Parallels Desktop Release Candidate 2 on Wednesday. This version of the virtual operating system environment for Intel-based Macs is the final candidate before the official product release. The update adds Parallels Compressor, a tool that can reduce the size of a Windows 200, XP, or 2003 virtual disk by 50 percent. It also adds several new features, including the ability to cut and paste between operating systems, network and USB support, and sound and video playback.
Parallels Desktop for Mac RC2 is available for download at the Parallels Web site. The official version will be priced at US$79.99, or $49.99 during the first 30 days after it is released. Customers that pre-ordered Parallels Desktop for $39.99 will get the enhanced version at no additional cost.