Apple’s move to Intel processors has opened many new doors to users, but one of the most important is the ability to run Windows.

However, not everyone wants to shut down Mac OS to get into another operating system, and this is where virtualisation software comes in.

The latest version of Parallels has a couple of interesting tweaks. First, it’s possible to import Boot Camp partitions and run them inside Parallels, allowing users to boot natively into Windows or Linux and access them when running OSX.

Second, Parallels has added a tool called Coherence, which basically hides the Windows desktop and allows users to launch Windows applications from the Mac’s Dock.

In testing, we found a few problems. For example, a bootable, working CD of PClinux OS could not be found by Parallels. Trying to boot our Vista partition was also a disappointing experience – Parallels simply failed to find the partition. We put this down to Parallels being conservative with allowing virtualisation of Vista, which has a restrictive EULA. However, clean installations of Vista and XP in Parallels worked fine. We were also impressed with the smooth booting of a Mandriva ISO and an XP Service Pack 2 ISO.

Other niggles included the performance hit of virtualised PCs over Boot Camp. Coherence is also a little fiddly to get working, but once running it behaved in a manner similar to Apple’s Classic in OSX – Windows opens in the background and applications can then be launched from the Dock.

If you’re in need of a second or third operating system running on your Mac desktop, Parallels is pretty much the slickest product in town. Due to the problems we had with our Vista/Boot Camp installation, we’re going to suspend judgement on importing Boot Camp partitions, but it’s still a strong product.