Quality over Features and Parallels on Mac

Quality of Features:
As a longtime Storyline user, hearing about the new direction of Articulate to focus on quality over features is great news. Teaching hundreds of new Storyline users every year, I am increasingly explaining why I don't use some features, pointing out considerations if they choose to use them, restrictions on others, or why labels and naming conventions are inconsistent in several areas around the UI.

I've submitted feature requests over the years, spoken to Articulate staff at conferences, and had conversations with engineers. I still submit bug reports, but sadly I've given up on submitting feature requests, so I keep my own running list now.

I'm looking forward to seeing the new direction and progress in quality.

Parallels on Mac:
My workhorse for the past 10 years was a MacBook Pro (late 2013) with 2.3 GHz Quad Core Intel i7, 16 GB ram, and a 2 TB drive. Over the past decade, I've always used VMware Fusion with little to no issues. Unfortunately, due to its age, Big Sur is the latest macOS that will run on this laptop, and I cannot update VMware Fusion because it requires a newer macOS. Simply put, it's time to upgrade. Note, a single Windows application (Storyline) is not the sole reason to upgrade to a newer Mac (screen protective film is peeling off, the battery is swelling, causing the case not to sit level, the keyboard acting squirrely, and other issues).  

I purchased a new MacBook M2 Max, 38-core GPU, 32 GB ram, and a 2 TB drive. Surely, this beast can run Storyline? This new Mac could be 10x stronger and faster, but it is a moot point when trying to run a 32-bit software program through a virtual client on a modern Windows OS on a non-Intel architecture.

VMware Fusion has always led the virtualization race until Apple Silicon chips arrived. Windows saw this and knew millions of Mac users needed to use Windows-only applications and created an ARM (new Apple architecture) version to work with Parallels (Intel is the x86 architecture). VMware does not offer the ability to install an ARM version of Windows but rather an emulator or "virtualization player." The good news is it is free, but a Windows x86 license is still required. And it now has its own set of new performance issues. Hearing about all the bugs and lack of performance with Storyline on both VMware Fusion and Parallels, I purchased an ASUS ROG Zephyrus PC laptop about a year ago. I moved all my Windows-only apps to that workstation, including Storyline. I also realize I'm an outlier, and not everyone has the option of having (or wanting) to manage a Mac and PC laptop simultaneously. 

Is it a hassle to manage two different workstations? Yes. Do I want to play full-time virtual client IT Support? No.

To be clear, I built a successful company using Storyline, and in my new role, I support a team of developers using Storyline and Rise. I will continue to adapt my workflows as I have over the years, and I will continue to teach new users everything I know about Storyline. Using a Mac is a personal choice, and I knew that ten years ago. And Articulate knew they were marrying itself to Windows and Microsoft .NET.

For now, and for the first time as a veteran Storyline user, I'm reluctant to invest in Parallels with the hopes Storyline will work on my new Mac. That may change before the year is out, but my PC laptop runs great, and Storyline works as intended. The cost of more subscriptions and licenses doesn't seem fiscally wise when the PC laptop will eventually pay for itself.