main image 0d178cf9d5fedfc60ed0f56901319bbf
Just ahead of Black Friday 2012, StackSocial has launched their Mac Utility Bundle which includes 5 Mac Apps for $59.99. The total retail value for the included apps are $245. The apps include

- Parallels Desktop 8 ($80) - Run Windows on your Mac
- Snagit ($50) - Record screen videos
- VirusBarrier X6 ($50) - Virus protection
- MacOptimizer ($29) - Disk utility
- Rubbernet ($36) - Monitor network-enabled apps

The $59.99 price represents a discount on full price of Parallels Desktop 8, but also includes these other apps. Meanwhile, Parallels seems to be offering their own discount to the same $59.99 but on their one app alone.

MacRumors is an affiliate partner of StackSocial.

Top Rated Comments

blevins321 Avatar
172 months ago
He didn't say Parallels 7, he said Windows 7.
Picture is Parallels 7.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Colpeas Avatar
172 months ago
As with all such bundles, it contains only one useful app.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iSee Avatar
172 months ago
Oh, ok, so: Parallels 8 for $60. Not too bad.



I bought Parallels yesterday from Newegg. It came on a thumb drive WITHOUT AN ACTIVATION CODE. I called Parallels emailed them my receipt and it wasn't good enough. It took me fifty minutes on the phone to get
an activation code.
I installed it and am trying to install WIN 7 from a disk image as I bought it on line. This is said to be okay and its been 75 minutes and it is still trying to install. Something is wrong but after 25 minutes on hold they say give me your telephone and we will call U back.
This company disrespects it customers and the software has not improved since Parallels 4 years ago.
I would avoid this product like the plague.:mad:

Your activation problems are with Newegg, not Parallels -- think rationally for even one second and you can see that. Geeze, I'm not a big Parallels fan, but your criticism is wholly misdirected in this case. And, by the way, a disk image should work fine. But given your lack of critical thinking skills, I'd be willing to bet this is user error. God only know who you "bought" that windows 7 disk image from. (I'm thinking from microsoft.com.ru).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blevins321 Avatar
172 months ago
I bought Parallels yesterday from Newegg. It came on a thumb drive WITHOUT AN ACTIVATION CODE. I called Parallels emailed them my receipt and it wasn't good enough. It took me fifty minutes on the phone to get
an activation code.
I installed it and am trying to install WIN 7 from a disk image as I bought it on line. This is said to be okay and its been 75 minutes and it is still trying to install. Something is wrong but after 25 minutes on hold they say give me your telephone and we will call U back.
This company disrespects it customers and the software has not improved since Parallels 4 years ago.
I would avoid this product like the plague.:mad:
You bought Parallels 7 yesterday with one day shipping from Newegg? 8 has been out for a few months...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SteelWheel Avatar
172 months ago
I'm reasonably certain that "palmharbor" is using Parallels 7 as well; Parallels 8 has "built-in" (= certified to be legit downloads) guest OSes. I was just looking at a review of this in one of the Mac magazines the other day. IIRC, a user can easily get a copy of Windows 7 or 8, the "off-the-shelf" version of the latest Ubuntu distro, Chrome OS (although: Why?), Android, or Mountain Lion from your recovery partition, as a part of the process of installing Parallels itself. Why bother installing a separately purchased version of Windows? All you really need is the license key. It's been a while since I've installed Windows on a machine, but in general, you just enter the license key at the prompt. I'm not even sure why Parallels customer support is supposed to be your first resort on a problem installing Windows. If I had that problem, I'd be calling Redmond, I think..
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
msandersen Avatar
172 months ago
Parallels---------Virtual Box
Snagit------------Built in with QT or an app like Jing
VirusBarrier-----ClamXav
MacOptimizer----Onyx
Rubbernet--------PrivateEye

Not sure why one would pay for these when the ones I listed are FREE alternatives
1. As people mentioned, Virtual Box is not a match for Parallels.
2. I'm not interested in AV, though I have the free Sophos AV for on-demand scanning of downloaded or suspect files, I don't care of always-on scanning if I can help it like we need for our PCs; it may yet come to that in the future, but we're not there yet thankfully.
But seriously, ClamXav? It's the worst of the lot, sadly. You can argue it is worse than no AV, since it gives you a false sense of security, esp on the Mac, as it doesn't really do Mac viruses. I deliberately downloaded a copy of the iWork trojan to test against when it came out, which is a long time ago now, and to this day Clam fails to detect it. All other AVs I've tested, inc on the PC, detect it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

imac video apple feature

Apple Unveils First New Products of 2026

Monday January 26, 2026 1:55 pm PST by
Apple today introduced its first two physical products of 2026: a second-generation AirTag and the Black Unity Connection Braided Solo Loop for the Apple Watch. Read our coverage of each announcement to learn more:Apple Unveils New AirTag With Longer Range, Louder Speaker, and More Apple Introduces New Black Unity Apple Watch BandBoth the new AirTag and the Black Unity Connection Braided...
Apple Logo Black

Apple Just Made Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever After Beats

Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio. Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014. Q.ai has...
iPhone 5s

iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch

Monday January 26, 2026 3:56 pm PST by
Alongside iOS 26.2.1, Apple today released an updated version of iOS 12 for devices that are still running that operating system update, eight years after the software was first released. iOS 12.5.8 is available for the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 6, meaning Apple is continuing to support these devices for 13 and 12 years after launch, respectively. The iPhone 5s came out in September 2013,...
Apple Creator Studio

Apple's Next Launch is Today

Tuesday January 27, 2026 2:39 pm PST by
Update: Apple Creator Studio is now available. Apple Creator Studio launches this Wednesday, January 28. The all-in-one subscription provides access to the Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage apps, with U.S. pricing set at $12.99 per month or $129 per year. A subscription to Apple Creator Studio also unlocks "intelligent features" and "premium...
Apple Event Logo

Apple Teases 'Innovations That Have Never Been Seen Before' This Year

Friday January 30, 2026 5:40 am PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook believes that his company will have opportunities to deliver "innovations that have never been seen before" this year. "As I said at the beginning of my remarks, this was, in so many ways, a remarkable quarter for Apple, and we're excited for all the opportunities we'll have in the year ahead to deliver innovations that have never been seen before and enrich the lives of...