If you need to run both the Windows 10 and Mac Sierra operating systems, and you can afford only one computer, make it a Mac.
Yes, there are perfectly good Windows computers that cost less than half an iMac or a MacBook Pro. (I recently spent more than $2,000 on a 27-inch iMac loaded to the gills with extra memory and other hardware.)
But if your home office space is limited and you perform the kinds of special tasks that Macs handle so well, such as video- and photo-editing, or if you just like the look and feel of the Mac operating system, bite the bullet. Give the Dell to your grandkids, if they want it, or use it as a paper weight.
That said, there are times when you absolutely must use programs that run only in Windows. Microsoft Office Pro comes to mind. And if money is an issue, you probably wouldn't want to buy similar software for the Mac. That's why Parallels Desktop for Mac computers will give you the best of both worlds.
Of course, you could use Apple's own Boot Camp program to run both operating systems but, in going that route, you can't run them at the same time. You must reboot each time you change operating systems. Parallels fixes that by creating what's called a virtual machine. Once you install Parallels on your Mac, you're guided through the simple process of installing Windows or just about any other operating system in virtual machines. Before you know it, a Window on your Mac's desktop pops up _ with Windows! The first time I did this, I was bowled over.
With Parallels, if you just want to see only the Windows desktop, you switch views; ditto if you want to see only the Mac desktop. Nothing new about any of this for folks who, like me, have been running Parallels for years.
Now in its 13th version, Parallels has added some bells, whistles and speed to its very fine program. I can't overemphasize the speed part. It loads much faster than previous versions. That's important, because you can install other virtual machines, such as the Linux operating system, and run them on a Mac. You can run all operating systems simultaneously and copy files among them. I've run four virtual machines at the same time, including Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, without a hitch. That takes speed _ and memory. Don't even consider Parallels if you have less than 8 gigabytes of RAM; 16 is better. You have to allocate memory to Parallels, which then controls how virtual machines load.
Another feature in the newest version of Parallels is one MacBook Pro users will appreciate. The touch bar can be customized to include Windows programs. When you're in Word, for example, Word commands appear in the touch bar. A picture-picture feature shows you what other virtual machines are running, even when you're running the Mac side in full screen
Parallels Toolbox, a group of utilities such as "clean drive" and "find duplicates," now is included with version 13.
Don't be intimidated by terms such as "virtual machine." I still don't quite get it after all these years. All I know is that when I finished writing this column in Pages, a Mac word processing app, I copied it over to the Windows virtual machine and edited it in Word. Couldn't be simpler.
The upgrade from version 11 or 12 to 13 costs $49. New customers pay between $79 and $99.
The tech support, by the way, is excellent. When I had a minor activation issue, the tech solved it in minutes. I've contacted Parallels support several times for past versions, and without fail, the techs solved the problems. More information: www.parallels.com.
