The amount of information on this website that talks about what's different with the PRO version could fit into a couple of tweets. For example, the comparison table on the landing page from the email says: "Visual Studio Plug In" - "Microsoft Visual Studio Plugin enables rapid debugging of applications inside your virtual machine" There is exactly ZERO useful information here. The first question that popped into my head was, I wasn't already able to do debugging? I use Visual Studio in my VM more than I do just about anything else and I've never had a single problem with debugging. Or is it just that my current debugging isn't "rapid" enough? What does this plug-in let me do that I couldn't do before? So far you haven't let me in on the secret. Quite a lot of the "Pro" features are explained just as poorly. There needs to be a page about each of them. What are the "advanced networking features?" If this sort of information is on the website now, then why did 5 minutes of clicking around not lead me past it 4 times?
Some reasoning - they have removed certain features from the standard version. Namely, the RAM per VM is now limited to 8gb, and you're limited to 4 vCPUs. Also, they have removed the rollback snapshot and linked clone features. There are probably more reductions in features - but Parallels hasn't made it clear. They also have not made it clear that they have now separated their product into two lines, and if you "upgrade" from the v10 Desktop to the v11 Desktop, you're really downgrading to a lower-tier product. Another thing to consider - if you go Pro, you're not buying it - you're renting it. That is, if you stop paying at any time (decide not to renew one year), your software will stop working. No more skipping every other upgrade.
Chris, I hadn't noticed those feature issues before, so thanks for pointing them out. However, I don't really see any way how that explains why they'd hide or obfuscate information about something like the Visual Studio plugin. It makes no sense to me why there isn't at least a few paragraphs about it featured prominently on their website. Likewise the "advanced network tools" or "developer tool integration" stuff. Also, I just can't think of any explanation for a rational, reasonably intelligent being to respond to "there's not enough information on your website" with a directive to "Oh, you should go check out our website"
And this is really why I'm considering leaving the Parallels fold, Mike. Parallels seems to have established a history of putting their users second and their arguably poor marketing team first. Parallels should have made a clear announcement that they were splitting the product into two tiers, and clearly spell out what was removed from one and put in the other. Heck, maybe they should have even asked their users about this. Having worked with marketing departments, however, they're usually an echo chamber. My problem now is that the desktop product is too bare bones for me, and the Pro version, while it will meet my needs, is tied to a killswitch-based subscription models. I really despise those. I know Microsoft and Adobe do it, which is why I dropped Photoshop after CS6 - but at least they still offer the fairly powerful Lightroom as an alternative, and keep adding features to it. Microsoft still lets you buy Office standalone, fully featured. Parallels - we get dumbed down, or a rental. Yeah, I'll take neither. Already bought Fusion with the free upgrade to 8 last night, so we'll see how that pans out. A shame because I think Parallels is the better product - but as a long time VMWare Workstation user on the PC, I really feel they're better when it comes to how they treat customers. It's a shame.
Chris, I gotta be honest with you, I have many of the same concerns about "renting" software that you've mentioned in other threads. So far, it seems like the answer is either, don't upgrade, or else look to Fusion or maybe Virtual Box. By the way, you can still *BUY* the Adobe stuff instead of subscribing. They downplay it but the option is still there.
I didn't know this? (Re: Adobe) - Off topic, but I'll have to look into it! Thanks, Mike! As for renting, there are sooo many other issues here. What if the pricing changes - are we grandfathered into our original rate, or are we held hostage? Does this mean Parallels "calls home" and won't work in a disconnected environment for long? Does it simply expire on a date if you don't renew? What happens if Parallels gets bought, shuts down, or merges? General questions, but part of the reason I won't play the rental game. I have work to do, and that work shouldn't depend on the whims and health of a company AFTER I have purchased and installed perfectly functional software. Stop updating? Fine. I get that. Stop working? No, I won't buy into that.
@ChrisT3: I'm with you on this one. That subscription model is bad for us. They should attract more customers by offering proper support for their products and adding real functionalities instead of ripping off their customers with a downgrade model. I'm gonna stuck with PD 9 then move to Fusion if their model is the same in the next months or so.
