Maybe, but not legally.
Parallels is software that lets you virtually run other operating systems on your Mac.
The M1 processor is built on the ARM architecture.
Will Porada / Unsplash
Virtualization, Not Emulation
Parallels is virtualization software, not emulation software.
An emulator recreates a piece of hardware as an app.
Parallels
Virtualization is different.
Parallels
It only runs software on hardware that also could run it natively.
For instance, the old Intel Macs also could run Windows.
Youd just install it like on any other PC.
Virtualization is also faster than emulation for this reason.
And its not just Windows.
it’s possible for you to virtualize other operating systems, most likely a version of Linux.
Speed
Officially, Parallels lets you run Windows or Linux on your Mac at native speeds.
That just means it runs at a speed comparable to if you installed Windows the old-fashioned way.
But how about real-world use?
Apples M1 Macs are far ahead of Intels x86 chips in terms of both performance and power use.
So how fast does Windows run on an M1 Mac?
The answer is, pretty fast.
Parallelsofficial numbers are impressive.
And running Windows on an M1 Mac?
Thirty-percent faster than running it on a Core i9 Intel MacBook Pro.
In other words, its fast.
More than fast enough to get your work done.
But there are some hitches.
However, it’s possible for you to sign up for MicrosoftsWindows Insider programanddownload a copy from there.
Even then, you may be unable to fire off the Windows apps you want.
The problem is not many of them are available.
To mitigate this, Microsoft hasput an emulator inside Windows 10 on ARMto emulate x86 PCs.
At least not until Microsoft gets its ARM game together.
