Ever since we put some plaudits - dispensing duties in the hand of our readers three eld ago , Apple has enjoyed a chokehold on the Readers ’ Choice Awards . In 2004 and 2005,Macworldreaders from our Web internet site and our Reader Panel have decided that Steve Jobs and Company have made the good computer hardware and software of the year . But in 2006 , Apple ’s reviewer awards streak has amount to an conclusion — and it ’s a product that facilitate you function Windows on a Mac that ’s responsible for .
By an consuming margin , our reader declare thatParallels Desktop for MacfromParallelswas the best software of the retiring 12 months . The virtualization software lets users instal and run operating system other than Mac OS X on an Intel - based Mac without ever rebooting their computers . In a year that saw such cross - platform capabilities record the consciousness of more Mac substance abuser , Parallels took center phase , even steering the spotlight forth from Apple ’s own Boot Camp solution . Readers seemed to recognize the significance of a programme that make up the Mac a more compelling option for exploiter in multi - platform mount — admit the great unwashed who might not even have debate the Mac just a few years ago .
The ability to quickly and well install Windows XP on an Intel - based Mac for crabbed - platform computing easily out - paced the seven other finalist , admit Boot Camp , which finished a remote indorsement . Also receiving a chunk of votes were the 3 - five hundred mapping applicationGoogle Earthand Apple ’s revampediTunes 7music and video player / labor organizer . Other software system finalist included the digital photography workflow applicationAperture , theFirefoxWeb internet browser , the organisational toolYojimbo , and > Flip4Mac , which gets Windows Media file to play in QuickTime .
Apple may be have miss out on our reader ’ Choice Award for package , but the company is n’t going home empty - handed , maintaining its iron grip on the Readers ’ selection for computer hardware of the year . In a tight three - way race , the24 - in iMac Core 2 Duoedged out Apple ’s two laptop computer offerings , theMacBookandMacBook Pro , by the slimmest of margin .
dedicate how popular Apple ’s laptops have proven to be , how did the iMac wind up on top of our reader sight ? If we had to infer ( besides the possibleness that the MacBook and MacBook Pro split the laptop computer - loving vote ) , we ’d say it was all that operation packed into the24 - inch iMac’s2.33GHz processor . The first round of Intel - based iMacs were telling , but swap out their original Core Duo chip for a next - propagation Core 2 Duo model sped things up considerably — so much so that our benchmarks found that the 24 - in iMac outgo a musculus quadriceps femoris - core 2GHz Mac Pro in many test .
address of theMac Pro — the stock 2.66GHz quad - core configuration , that is — it complete a stiff fourth in our reader poll . Other hardware finalists included theNike + iPod Sport Kit , an iPod nano - compatible exercise supplement , and ATI’sRadeon 1900XT graphic add-in .
