PUTTING THE M2 MAC THROUGH ITS PACES
TECH REVIEW UPDATE: After almost three months of using the M2 Mac, Dennison DeNatalie re-visits the computer's power.
By Dennison DeNatalie
The update that you’ve been waiting for, or not. Either way, here it is.
I’ve been using the M2 Mac for about 11 weeks now. I can confidently say – this machine is an absolute powerhouse. We all knew that, though.
But — every new and great product comes with its significant downfalls. As someone who uses MacOS and Windows every day and constantly switches between the two, I used to be able to Dual Boot my Intel-based MacBook Pro and run Windows natively on the machine.
However, as I mentioned in my initial review of this M2 Pro MacBook Pro, the Apple Silicon chips don’t natively support dual booting with X86 Windows Architecture. The days of dual booting a Mac are over. So, the next best thing is using a Virtual Machine, sometimes referred to as a “VM,” to run Windows within the MacOS operating system.
A trendy way of doing this is with a VM app, and Parallels is one of the most commonly used and widely available apps for this function. While Parallels has been good, I’ve been running this machine through its paces and finally found my gripes.
As someone with a wide range of jobs and hobbies, connectivity and interoperability significantly influence my ability to perform various tasks. Parallels, when running on MacOS, does allow you to use USB devices on the Windows side; Windows will NOT see any of these devices as a Network Adapter. When flashing and programming Motorola Public Safety Radios, this is the only way the program, CPS, will communicate with the Radio.
Ok – so maybe it’s a Windows 11 issue? Well, I wouldn’t be able to tell solely from my Mac; Parallels won’t support Windows 10 on the Apple Silicon Macs. Not to mention, it’s not even truly supporting Windows 11. It’s a caked version of real Windows. While Windows 11 runs well on Parallels on MacOS, the connectivity lacks to establish a great workflow.
In further testing, running Serato DJ with Stems, this computer shows no mercy, generates barely any heat, and handles the software like a champ. Instant stems processing without any lag or the usual Serato glitchiness.
Mind = blown!
