Parallel computing with the MATLAB^® language and environment has received interest from various quarters. The Parallel Computing Toolbox^TM and MATLAB^® Distributed Computing Server^TM from The MathWorks are among several available tools that offer this capability. We explore some of the key features of the parallel MATLAB language that these tools offer. We describe the underlying mechanics as well as the salient design decisions and rationale for certain features in the toolset. The paper concludes by identifying some issues that we must address as the language features evolve.