What you need to know
- Windows 11 was recently announced by Microsoft.
- It looks like Mac users will also be able to get in on the action.
- Parallels has confirmed it is beginning work on Windows 11 compatibility and will do "everything that's possible" to bring Windows 11 to macOS.
Windows 11 was unveiled by Microsoft last week, and Parallels is gearing up to bring compatibility to users on the Mac in future Parallels updates, iMore can confirm.
Windows announced its latest operating system on June 24, unveiling a brand new user interface built around a centered Start menu and Taskbar. It features new Widgets, Windows Snap Assist, and a total UI overhaul that will prove a welcome breath of fresh air to Windows users when it is released in the fall as a free upgrade.
Parallels has long been the preferred choice of Mac users who want (or need) to use Windows on a Mac, and the company recently updated Parallels in April to bring full support to Apple silicon and the M1 chip, along with a huge boost in performance and power usage. With devices like the M1 MacBook Pro now fully able to support Parallels, the company is looking ahead to the next installment of Windows.
"Since Windows 11 has just been announced recently, the Parallels Engineering team is waiting for the official Windows 11 Insider Preview build to start studying changes introduced in the new OS to deliver full compatibility in future Parallels Desktop updates," Nick Dobrovolskiy, SVP of Engineering and Support told iMore. Microsoft's first Insider preview build came out on Monday, but the rollout was a bumpy one and it doesn't include all of the new features that are coming to Windows 11 later this year such as Microsoft Teams integration or support for Android apps.
The company did not go beyond "future Parallels Desktop updates" in terms of a timeframe, but added, "we will surely do everything that's possible to make it happen." Parallels' current version for macOS, Parallels Desktop 16 is optimized for macOS Big Sur, and the company has publicly stated that it is testing Parallels on the macOS Monterey Beta "to ensure full compatibility as soon as it is released."
Parallels says its software is used by over 7 million people, and last year Apple confirmed that the switch to Apple silicon would be the end of Boot Camp on the Mac, with virtualization tools like Parallels the only viable solution moving forward.
