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Microsoft and Connectix before it have long provided this option for Power PC Mac users in the Virtual PC application, with the inevitable impact on performance caused by running an operating system built for an entirely different hardware platform.

The introduction of the first Intel Macs at the beginning of this year raised the possibility that Mac users would be able to run a native, high-performance installation of Windows. Apple's solution, released in beta form earlier this week, is Boot Camp, but that requires rebooting every time you want to change OS.

Parallels' solution is a first Mac version of its Workstation virtualisation software. Like Boot Camp it runs Windows XP without emulation;

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like Virtual PC it does so within OS X. Unlike either it will also run any Linux distribution, FreeBSD, Solaris, OS/2, eComStation, or MS-DOS as well as Windows 3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, Me, 2000, NT, XP and 2003.

The software utilises Intel's Virtualization Technology to provide what the developer describes as 'near-native performance and rock-solid stability'. It is fully compatible with Intel's Core Duo processors. Installation is designed to be as straightforward as possible with wizards for building virtual machines that can then be configured by a 'Web-inspired' interface.

'Parallels Workstation for MacOS X gives Mac users a viable virtualisation solution that will let them embrace widely-used operating systems like Windows and Linux without having to give up the power, usability and familiarity of their Macintosh,' said Benjamin Rudolph, Parallels' marketing manager. 'This release underscores our commitment to building solutions that anyone, regardless of budget, technology savvy, or operating system can use to improve productivity and platform flexibility.'

For more information and to download the Parallels Workstation 2.1 Beta for Mac OS X go to www.parallels.com/en/products/workstation/mac.