Parallels Desktop 7 For Mac

Pros: My old 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo white MacBook left a bad taste in my mouth when it came to running Win7 in a virtual environment. Boot camp was a faster alternative but rebooting to Win7 left OS-X unavailable when running Windows.
Not the case with my Core i5 MacBook Pro. I give Parallels it's own desktop in Spaces and I can do a 3 finger swipe to switch back and forth.

Cons: None if you have a Core i5 or i7 Mac.

Other Thoughts: Between OS-X's native Unix support and Parallels virtualization there is no OS or application that you can't run on your Mac.
Storage space is the only limitation when it comes to how many operating systems you can run.
Lots of RAM also helps. The more RAM you have the less concurrently running operating systems will slow you down. My mid-2011 MacBook Pro has 16GB of RAM and runs Win7 and Ubuntu Linux virtual machines at the same time without breaking a sweat.

Pros: Being able to run windows within Mac OS is nice. Being able to run Windows within Mac OS as well as on a PC is great. Installation was very easy the second time.

Cons: Software is expensive. Too expensive. Add to that the cost of a Windows license and it becomes a very costly solution. Couldn't install Windows the first time. An issue related to using a SSD. Installation went fine on a regular hard drive.

Other Thoughts: Installed bootcamp first and then installed PD7 using my bootcamp installation.

Pros: This software really kicks! Highly recommended if you want to run Windows on a Mac

Cons: I think it only uses one core and 1GB of physical memory... or so the CPU gadget says. Not sure it is reporting the right thing... but it does hit up the disk a lot.

Pros: Installed Win8 RP on it and it just blew my mind. I was surprised at how smooth the process was, it even provided me with Win8 images that I can download and install directly.

After Win8 was setup, the integration is absolutely amazing. One of the major things I don't like about Win8 is it doesn't have start menu button anymore, no worries, because Parallels put all the shortcuts to all applications installed in Win8 to your mac launch bar, so now my mac launch bar serves as my start menu for Win8. That is considerate!!

Performance is amazing, running Windows applications feels like they run naively on a PC, no stutter no glitches! Starts up and shuts down faster than on a local real machine...

Cons: Not much here really. Sometimes the network sharing says I don't have network connection in Mac, but I actually do. However I can always workaround it by switching the network sharing method couple of times then it fixes itself.

Pros: Excellent User Interface
Easy to Install and Configure
Excellent performance, even on older Macs

Cons: I can't think of any

Other Thoughts: I've been using Parallels Desktop for Mac since version 3. Each version has been a solid improvement over the last. Parallels Desktop 7 is extremely fast, easy to use, and has an amazing UI. I've tried other desktop virtualization software, but nothing compares to Parallels Desktop 7.

Pros: highly recommended
I hate windows, but needed it for a specific program i use at work. My MacBook Pro runs windows better than any pc with Parallels. In "Coherence Mode" Windows programs look like Apple programs because they open on the MacBook desktop.
I mostly use Apple software now, but I still have to use a couple windows programs for my job.

Cons: Once, my windows said that my copy wasn't a legal copy and I had to call an 800 number and enter many digits, then all was cool again.

Other Thoughts: For those still using pc's and windows laptops; make the switch to Apple. They look great, they run great, and they do everything and more than a windows-only computer. Highly stable and easy to learn. With Parallels, you won't miss anything except constant headaches.

Pros: Stable. Simple to install and use. Stable. Fast. Stable.

Cons: Have not found anything disappointing yet.

Other Thoughts: Seamless
Parallels works great everything from the install to using it on a daily basis was simple and easy. The ability to jump from Mac OS to Windows and back transfer files and starting programs is seamless. I have never had much time or patience for Windows and with Parallels I do not need need it.

Pros: Fast. Compatible.

Cons: None that I've hit

Other Thoughts: Works perfectly. I've bounced between VMware and Parallels for the last three years, so when the recent competitive upgrade from VMWare to Parallels was cheaper than the upgrade from VMWare to VMWare's new version, I made the switch. Has worked perfectly for me since with a Windows 7 64 bit VM. From power on to desktop in under 8 seconds with my 8GB of RAM and SSD, can't ask for more for performance or reliability. Then I bought a new Retina Macbook Pro, copied everything to the new computer, and fired up just fine. Never a hiccup.

Pros: Installation worked the first time, with no problems.

Cons: The publisher (Parallels, Inc.) keeps sending you email offers to upgrade even after you've bought the upgrade FROM THEM. I just wish they'd get their records straight and stop trying to sell me what I've already bought.

Other Thoughts: I started using Parallels back with version 1. I've progressed through the releases since, and frankly, was spoiled. The releases were all quite usable, with improvements each time. Then I tried to use VMWare on a machine at work. What a hassle! After trying in various ways to make it work for me, I finally gave up! It just made the whole process a major headache. I'm so glad I use Parallels on my home-office machine!

Pros: THE best way to run Windows on a Mac
I've been using Parallels for years and its definitely THE best choice to run Windows on our Macs. We have to run WinXP Pro for a couple of WinBlows only programs (TurboTax Business and 3 commercial real estate applications) and also to use our Fujitsu fi-5110C scanner.

Another HUGE benefit running Parallels is handling WHEN (not IF) Windows implodes. Restoring a Windows PC on a real PC is a nightmare. With Parallels, all you need is to routinely make a copy of the ONE file that makes up your Windows VM ("Virtual Machine") onto an external hard drive. WHEN (not if) Windows implodes, just trash your imploded VM then restore your backup VM and you're back in business in MINUTES, NOT hours or days! Been there, done that!

Cons: Parallels 7 requires an Intel Core 2 Duo or newer processor (4+ virtual cores)... Won't run on my original MacBook Pro because it only has a Core Duo processor (only 2 virtual cores)... but Parallels 6 works (albeit slowly on this Core Duo) and Apple's BootCamp runs acceptably