Category Archives: User experience

Parallels 16 Tech Guarantee, parallels desktop 15, Parallels Desktop for Mac, Parallels Desktop for Mac Business, Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition, parallels desktop OEM, parallels desktop retail, parallels desktop student license, Parallels Desktop Tech Guarantee, parallels tech guarantee, Support How To’s, User experience

Parallels Desktop 16 Tech Guarantee

The Parallels team is excited to bring our users Parallels® Desktop 16 for Mac, which is packed with new features. Qualifying users who recently purchased a license to Parallels Desktop can upgrade to version 16 for free. 

With the Parallels Desktop Tech Guarantee, users who purchased and registered a copy of Parallels Desktop 15 from the Parallels online store (parallels.com) or an authorized reseller between August 1 and September 30 are eligible to upgrade to Parallels Desktop 16 at no additional charge, subject to certain conditions.

The conditions covering eligibility for an upgrade include:

  • Upgrade to the next version of Parallels Desktop at no additional cost if you purchased and registered Parallels Desktop 15 for Mac between August 1, 2020, and September 30, 2020.
  • Product must be a qualifying product, as mentioned in #1 below. Non-qualifying Parallels Desktop products are explained in #3 below.
  • Must be purchased from an authorized retailer. Non-authorized retailers are detailed in #4 below.

1. The following Parallels Desktop 15 for Mac products qualify for the Tech Guarantee:

  • Parallels Desktop 15 for Mac Full Version (New Licenses)
  • Parallels Desktop 15 for Mac Upgrade (Upgrade Licenses)
  • Parallels Desktop 15 for Mac Student License
  • Parallels Desktop 15 for Mac Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Version when purchased together with hardware or other approved software products (OEM License)

Additionally, your product must be registered on or after August 1, 2020, and before or on September 30, 2020.

2. How do I receive my upgrade key?

Eligible Parallels Desktop users who purchased and registered their product after August 1, 2020, and before September 30, 2020, will have upgrade keys automatically added to their Parallels MyAccount. The upgrade license key will be sent to the email used to register your license for Parallels Desktop 15. You should receive the Parallels Desktop upgrade key within seven (7) days after the new version of Parallels Desktop becomes available. 

3. The following Parallels Desktop for Mac products do not qualify for the Tech Guarantee:

  • Trial versions of Parallels Desktop for Mac
  • Licenses sold under the Volume License Program, including PIK/PIKA, Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition licenses and Parallels Desktop for Mac Business Edition licenses
  • Not-for-resale (NFR) versions
  • OEM versions that are purchased unlawfully without hardware or qualifying software
  • Parallels Desktop for Mac versions purchased and registered before August 1, 2020, or after September 30, 2020

4. Non-authorized retailers and resellers include but are not limited to: 

Due to the sheer volume of global Parallels Desktop users, please follow the steps above before contacting the Parallels Support team. Key(s) will be automatically sent to your email address, so check the spam/junk folder. Again, we ask for users to please allow up to seven (7) business days for your key to be delivered. 

Parallels Desktop subscription users: Don’t worry, if you have an active annual subscription of Parallels Desktop, Parallels Desktop Pro Edition or Parallels Desktop Business Edition, you’re already eligible for an upgrade to the latest version. Parallels Desktop subscription users automatically get access to the newest version at no additional cost. 

If you’ve read the above but still have questions about the Parallels Desktop 16 tech guarantee, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our teams. We’re here to help with your questions or concerns via our social support on Facebook or Twitter, 24/7. 

– The Parallels Team

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Apple, Parallels Business Solutions, Parallels Desktop for Mac, Parallels Desktop for Mac Business, User experience

Most Businesses Use Desktop Virtualization for Mac – Parallels Survey Part 3

Concerns regarding lack of software compatibility are the main factor preventing businesses from using Mac devices. This was revealed by a recent study conducted by Parallels. (We showcased other results in previous blog posts: Part 1 and Part 2) At the same time, this survey reveals a serious interest of IT departments and users in switching to Mac clients. However, those in charge were said to be concerned about not being able to continue running previously used software on Mac. Nearly 25% of respondents stated lack of software compatibility as the reason for not using a Mac. This concern regarding not being able to continue using essential applications surpasses both the issue of the higher cost of Mac usage and the challenge of being forced to manage multiple platforms.

These reservations are groundless in most cases, however. These days, a great many applications are web-based and platform independent. This means that upgrading existing licenses of the required software to cloud versions or to more current releases could help resolve compatibility issues. A second approach would involve virtualizing systems to run the required software.

Ways businesses run Windows software on Mac

Roughly 33% of businesses surveyed use remote access solutions to run unsupported software on their Mac clients. On the other hand, applications with high demands on hardware performance, or ones that are predominantly used on the road, are always better off on local clients. Media production and software development programs are good examples of applications with high hardware performance requirements. Desktop virtualization turns out to be the solution of choice for application cases of this kind. More than 42% of those surveyed use virtualization programs such as Parallels Desktop™ for Mac, enabling them to run their Windows software locally on their corporate Mac devices.

Learn more:

The post Most Businesses Use Desktop Virtualization for Mac – Parallels Survey Part 3 appeared first on Parallels Blog.

Parallels Desktop for Mac, Parallels Desktop for Mac Business, Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition, User experience

How and Why Mac Devices Are Used in Companies – Parallels Survey Part 2

Mac can now be found in more than 50% of all companies, showing an upward trend. How did this proliferation come about and why do companies and their employees prefer Mac in growing numbers? Some 1,000 IT professionals, mainly from small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs), participated in a survey about their company’s usage of Mac.

Software developers love Mac

The main reason quoted by respondents is Mac performance. This is not so much an opinion about the Mac hardware, which equals many other machines in good part. Most Mac models aren’t performance behemoths when compared to powerful workstations. The Apple computer’s strength often lies in their efficiency and perceived speed in getting work done. It is not least the software’s architecture and optimization that can make a difference in productivity.

Web and software developers benefit from the Unix foundation and built-in tools of macOS. Furthermore, Mac computers are the only ones available on the market that can run macOS, Windows and Linux—and with a solution such as Parallels Desktop™ for Mac, even multiple operating systems of this kind at the same time. This is another reason for the disproportionally high market share of Mac devices with developers. On the other hand, creative professionals for decades have used the software that has made Mac so significant for publishing and visual media, being highly optimized and running exceptionally well on macOS.

Mac is regarded to be safer

Safety comes in second place among the main reasons for using Mac. This is a classic part of the macOS image; there is less malware around for this operating system and it is less easily foisted on unsuspecting users. The strict separation of system data from user data really helps. Add to that useful tools such as the hard drive encryption program FileVault and the iCloud Keychain password manager. IT administrators may be interested in the fact that these onboard safety nets can be enabled and configured via a device management solution, relieving users from the effort of taking care of them.

Other major reasons quoted for employees using Mac were:

  • Easy connectivity with other Apple devices such as iPhone and iPad (32% of those surveyed)
  • General user-friendliness (30%)

Businesses running Parallels Desktop on their Mac devices can add further use options and features to this already broad range of benefits. We have outlined them here for you.

The next article of this series will be covering reservations and challenges within businesses that keep them from using Mac.

Learn more:

The post How and Why Mac Devices Are Used in Companies – Parallels Survey Part 2 appeared first on Parallels Blog.

AI, Facebook, News & Analysis, User experience

Facebook outlines user experience objectives for AI

FacebookFacebook has outlined its ambitions for artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to enhance user experience.

The recent introduction of bots through the Facebook platform is one of first steps on the journey to artificial intelligence, which the team believe can evolve into an AI platform which can learn and automate specific activities. The Facebook team ultimately want to build computer services that have better perception than people, whether this is predicting what content would be relevant to a user or products would be of interest, which it believes is possible within the next 5-10 years.

“We’re focused not on what Facebook is, but on what it can be and on what it needs to be, and that means doing bold things,” said Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg. “A lot of what we’re building today in areas like connectivity, artificial intelligence, and virtual and augmented reality may not pay off for years, but they’re important to our mission of connecting the world. And I’m committed to seeing this mission through and to leading Facebook there over the long term.”

While true artificial intelligence could be perceived as a long-term ambition of the tech industry, Facebook has incorporated various AI and machine learning capabilities into its services over recent months. The Moments app is using face recognition to help users share pictures with friends, while also using AI to drive relevant content through a user’s news feed and filter spam. One of the more advanced applications of the technology is helping blind people comprehend what is in a photo by reading explanations of them aloud.

In terms of long-term ambitions for AI and machine learning capabilities will be to enhance the user experience and continue to drive more relevant content through their Facebook accounts. The team believe the future of AI will be able to understand the content of articles or videos in a more complex manner, linking the specific content with a user’s defined interests and previous use of the platform.

Currently, AI can potentially list what content is within an article, picture or video, but it doesn’t fundamentally understand what this content is, and thus cannot draw conclusions as to which users it would be relevant for. This intuition and perception would appear to be the next step in Facebook’s AI journey.

“One obvious thing I think over time is if you just look at the way that we rank News Feed, today we use some basic signals like who you’re friends with and what pages you like as some of the most important things for figuring out what – out of all of the millions and millions of pieces of content that are on Facebook, what we’re going to show and what are going to be the most interesting things to you,” said Zuckerberg.

“That’s because today our systems can’t actually understand what the content means. We don’t actually look at the photo and deeply understand what’s in it or look at the videos and understand what’s in it or read the links that people share and understand what’s in them, but in the future we’ll be able to, I think in a five or 10-year period.”

From a financial perspective, revenues for the quarter grew by 52% year on year to $5.4 billion, and advertising revenue grew by 57% to $5.2 billion. Mobile advertising revenue reached $4.2 billion, up 75% year over year, and is now approximately 82% of total advertising revenues for the business. The company now claims to have 3 million active advertisers on Facebook and over 200,000 on Instagram.

Business Processes, Human-Computer Interaction, Tools, User experience, User interface

Implementing Better UI Experience in the Logistics Domain

How does an enhanced user interface (UI) impact user experience? When it comes to eliminating inconsistencies from a UI, there are only a few applications that can successfully do that. One of the critical aspects of any logistics application is to ensure that there is seamless front and back office synergy, and by simplifying the integration of various technological aspects of the logistics process, you can reduce on time and money for a unique strategy implementation.

Is improving the UI experience always so expensive?

There are ways in which one can built a responsive UI that is adaptable on several devices. One can also control the cost of UI development. Eliminating UI inconsistencies can enable better collaboration between internal and external applications. Several global logistics players have a similar requirement to improve the overall user experience. With the help of technological experts in the field of UI strategy implementation, one can jump-start the process cost effectively. Here’s how some players have improved their logistics UI experience with HCL’s Tech approach:

LogisticsUI2

 

  • Enhance usability by improving the overall UI experience

  • Optimize the use of common UI controls, standards, templates, tools, code generators, and other sample applications

  • Optimize the design and development of the overall process

  • Derive a quality code by adhering to best practices

  • Devise a strategy to optimize applications for various platforms such as the mobile, desktop, and other UI centric applications

  • Develop a framework for updating and governing the overall platform

By improving the UI (whether at the client side or internal), one can derive several business benefits. In other words, it’s possible to achieve a great overall experience with the help of technological consultants in the field.

To know more about the article you can read the case study written by experts at HCL Technologies.HCL Technologies.

 

 

BMC, IT Management, User experience, Wayfair

BMC Software Delivers Chart and Compass to Help IT Map the User Experience in the Cloud

Image representing BMC Software as depicted in...

BMC Software has created a “chart and compass” to quickly map and navigate the end user experience. BMC End User Experience Management is a  solution that helps IT organizations rapidly diagnose and improve customer satisfaction rates. The latest release includes applications running in the cloud, with visibility from the end user all the way back to the code.

“End user experience monitoring is a critical criterion of the interaction between the human, device, and customer-facing software applications,” said Jonah Kowall, research director at Gartner. “While this criterion is only one part of a complete application performance monitoring strategy, this one criterion will have an ever increasing role in which applications are successfully deployed and sticky – particularly in the cloud.”

“The BMC solution has really increased the pace at which we identify problems,” said Steve Conine, CTO and co-founder, Wayfair, the largest online retailer of home furnishings. “We don’t want customer service calling us up, walking over and telling us something is down. We want to know it is down before they call us.”