Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.
I became a Mac user towards the end of the PowerPC era. When the switch to Intel was made, virtualization became a key use case for people looking to bridge the gap with macOS and Windows native apps. Over the last two decades, the use cases for virtualization have changed and evolved, but it’s still a key part of many workflows. When Apple switched to its own chips (Apple Silicon) in 2020, virtualization moved right along with it, but it was challenging with x86 virtualization. Technology progress is undefeated, though, as x86 emulation is now available in beta for macOS.
About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers managed an enterprise IT network from 2009 to 2021. Through his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, a mobile device management system, enterprise grade Wi-Fi, 1000s of Macs, and 1000s of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, build networks to support them, train users, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for IT departments.
Starting with Parallels Desktop 20.2.0 you can use x86 emulation on Apple Silicon Macs going back to the Apple Silicon M1. This new functionality allows you to run some Intel-based (x86_64) virtual machines (VMs) on Apple Silicon via Parallels’ proprietary emulation engine.
There are a number of limitations you need to know, though:
- Boot times range from 2 to 7 minutes, with responsiveness limited to single-application use. When Parallels says this feature is in beta, they mean beta.
- USB devices and sound are not yet supported for x86 emulation, and virtual machines are restricted to one virtual CPU and a max of 8 GB of RAM allocated.
- x86 emulation leverages Apple’s hypervisor, which does not support nested virtualization, making specific developer-focused tools like WSL2 unavailable.
- x86 emulation only supports 64-bit operating systems, though 32-bit applications can run. However, earlier versions of Windows (Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2019/2022 are “supported”) and some Linux distributions will run into challenges.
What’s the use case for this feature?
Simply put, it’s all about testing and development. It’s not meant (currently) to be used as a way to run the Windows app you need. Parallels noted that their customers have requested the ability to run, develop, and test 32-bit Windows apps in a native environment since migrating to Apple Silicon. If Parallels can continue to iron out bugs, the capability could be essential for businesses and developers who rely on legacy apps that have not yet been transitioned to modern architectures.
What else is new?
In addition to beta/previs x86 emulation, Parallels Desktop 20.2.0 adds enhancements tailored to IT management:
- Hybrid Licensing and SSO Support: The Enterprise Edition now supports hybrid and single sign-on (SSO), simplifying license management and authentication.
- Configuration Profile Support: This new feature streamlines deployment processes, reducing the time and effort required to manage large-scale virtualized environments.
- Automatic Time Synchronization: macOS virtual machines on Apple silicon now automatically syncs time and time zones, simplifying setup for end users
Click here to learn more about Parallels for macOS.
Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
