Intuit says work begun on new Mac Quicken, QuickBooks

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 51
    If you want a decent replacement for QuickBooks and for that matter MYOB which still hasn't got a Universal Binary out, take a look at MoneyWorks by Cognito...



    http://cognito.co.nz/
  • Reply 22 of 51
    Quicken for the Mac is the most frustrating, disappointing, crap-ridden piece of Mac software from a major software company I've ever seen. It's the only thing that prevents me from declaring my switch to Mac as an unqualified improvement. I've tried two versions already and I still keep going back to Quicken Windows on VPC.



    Until Intuit builds a Mac version that has completely identical capabilities as the Windows version, AND can read Quicken Windows files with no need for any conversion at all, I will continue to avoid Quicken for Mac like the plague
  • Reply 23 of 51
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aegisdesign View Post


    If you want a decent replacement for QuickBooks and for that matter MYOB which still hasn't got a Universal Binary out, take a look at MoneyWorks by Cognito...



    http://cognito.co.nz/



    MYOB is a nice app but if you need a CPA to audit your files it's very difficult to find someplace that can read MYOB data files, let alone navigate it.
  • Reply 24 of 51
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DJ Rizzo View Post


    MYOB is a nice app but if you need a CPA to audit your files it's very difficult to find someplace that can read MYOB data files, let alone navigate it.



    They've been advertising on the MacWorld podcast that a Windows version of the software is included for your accountant.
  • Reply 25 of 51
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post


    They've been advertising on the MacWorld podcast that a Windows version of the software is included for your accountant.



    Both MYOB and MoneyWorks are cross platform and you can even operate both on the same network using the same data files. Both come with a free second copy for your accountant.



    IME MYOB is too slow to use in a networked environment whereas I've a client using MoneyWorks with 5 users, an Applescript SOAP server and 2 users working remotely over broadband - something we found impossible with MYOB. MoneyWorks kicks MYOB's arse.



    Quicken/QuickBooks are toys by comparison.
  • Reply 26 of 51
    I have been using Quicken in Canada on a Mac since 1994 and I have a love-hate relationship with the program.

    Curiously, what I have noticed about the other respondents to this article is that a lot of them (such as I) have only posted 2 or 3 times - but this article seemed to hit a chord with us so we just had to add our 2 cents worth (pun intended)...



    Anyway, as a long-time (14 years) Quicken user I have had to put up with a lot of crap from this company over the years but I can honestly say that it's been a definite help with completing my personal and small business finances. There might be other programs out there but Quicken is pretty straightforward and quite easy to use. I have tried it on a real PC (back in the days when the Mac was "dying") and emulated PC in '98 or so but I have always come back to the Mac version. Even so, I have been begging Intuit for years for some of those PC-only features in my Mac version.



    I hope Intuit reads these posts because I want them to know one thing is certain... if Quicken for Mac doesn't include "multi-currency accounts" in this next version then this long-time user is DEFINITELY OUTTA HERE!
  • Reply 27 of 51
    A little bird told me that "important" folks have been angry about the Intuit lack of support over the years, but given the Board relationships, things have been muted.



    This has changed.



    Why?



    1. The big guy hates being held hostage by third parties, an issue very much on his mind given the short term and strategic threat in the music division. Yes, not a good time to be messing around by delivering late bits with a feature set which has trailed the Windows version for about a decade.



    2. Also, people in power understand that one of the core things a family does with a personal computer is manage family finances. The last few versions of Quicken have been viewed as insults against the gentlemen's agreement a few years back.



    So what's the deal:



    Watch for an Apple+Google solution. Not soon. But coming.



    And Intuit won't see it coming until it plows them over. They think they will hear about new threats from the financial institutions. Not this time, because it's a game changer.



    ...or maybe I am just making this all up for giggles. :-) Either way, don't sue me. :-)
  • Reply 28 of 51
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tundraboy View Post


    Quicken for the Mac is the most frustrating, disappointing, crap-ridden piece of Mac software from a major software company I've ever seen. It's the only thing that prevents me from declaring my switch to Mac as an unqualified improvement. I've tried two versions already and I still keep going back to Quicken Windows on VPC.



    Until Intuit builds a Mac version that has completely identical capabilities as the Windows version, AND can read Quicken Windows files with no need for any conversion at all, I will continue to avoid Quicken for Mac like the plague



    When I talk to potential switchers, the state of Quicken Mac is an embarrassment.



    After reading the 3 quotes from Intuit reps specifically about Quciken, I am not hopeful.



    Quote:

    "committed to delivering the Mac community the best business and personal finance solutions in the market"



    Uh, ok. You mean just like you've always been? Is this quote from someone in Intuit PR or in Intuit marketing?



    Quote:

    "With anticipation of the launch of the new Mac OS X (Leopard) and Intuit’s ongoing focus on delivering customer driven innovation, more information around future Mac [Quicken] offerings will be shared at a later time,"



    Translation: "We're still trying to get Quicken stable on leopard. Once we get over that hurdle, we'll worry about features."



    Quote:

    "In the mean time, we wanted to make sure that you were aware of Quicken Online -- scheduled to arrive in 2008. This new offering is platform agnostic and will allow users to manage their finances via any web browser."



    "Our Quicken Mac group will soon consist of one QA guy, testing on Safari (part-time). If all goes as planned I'm gonna have a fantastic Christmas bonus."
  • Reply 29 of 51
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dbarrett View Post


    Until QuickBooks users become capable of accessing their merchant accounts using the Mac version it will continue to be a complete waste of time.



    That's a bit harsh, but yes - credit card processing is one of the major features that should be added.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by McDavies View Post


    Personal Finance is the huge industry and yet for software there is no competition. Not on Windows platform and not on OS X.



    Not true. On the Mac side, for personal finance we have Moneydance, iBank, Liquid Ledger and many others.



    For business, we have iBank, FinanceToGo, MoneyWorks and the latest addition to the category, Accounted.



    The biggest problem with accounting software on the Mac has been the lack of coverage that Mac publications have given the category. MacWorld and MacLife are all gung-ho about running Quark vs. InDesign and Lightroom vs. Aperture shootouts, but accounting software doesn't get full coverage and indepth feature comparisons.



    As someone who's been looking for new solutions for a year or so, I still have no idea what specific features and reports iBank and MoneyWorks are missing in comparison to QuickBooks.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aegisdesign View Post


    If you want a decent replacement for QuickBooks and for that matter MYOB which still hasn't got a Universal Binary out, take a look at MoneyWorks by Cognito...



    http://cognito.co.nz/



    Because there is no current version of QuickBooks for Canada, it is no longer available at Canadian Apple Stores, and MoneyWorks is now the only accounting software sold there. So Apple Canada is acutely aware that the platform is lacking in this category. (For those who aren't aware, MYOB sold out their Canadian customers in the 90's to Intuit, and will never be trusted north of the border again.)
  • Reply 30 of 51
    "

    I keep an Excel file of all my finances. It's basically the same thing as Quicken: a checkbook register. I have tabs for long-range planning, budget, goals, etc.



    I keep it on a small USB keychain flashdrive, along with a Word document containing all my passwords for every website and account I have.

    "



    How do you pay your bills with an excel file? Downloading transactions from your Broker, Credit Card Companies and Checking must be fun. How does that work?



    "same thing as Quicken" ..Yeah right.



    It was difficult for me to switch from Windows to the Mac Quicken. I did it and can get by now. I worry that intuit is not taking the Mac community seriously. There is no real competition that I have found. Oh there's stuff out there but it sucks too. I started paying bills with CheckFree in November of 1990. It was a DOS based program. From there I switch to Quicken for Windows and now I'm on the Mac.



    I don't want to loose my history or my ability download transactions and pay bills.



    I agree with the person that said he wouldn't consider an on-line version. That's nuts.



    Financial software on the Mac is lacking. We need competition for Intuit. Real competition.
  • Reply 31 of 51
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BWhaler View Post


    Watch for an Apple+Google solution. Not soon. But coming.



    What's the point of "Not soon. But coming" accounting software? That's the state of Quicken and QuickBooks right now.



    I think that given the delay, the pretenders to the QuickBooks throne have a window of opportunity that won't last too long.

    Here's what I think the ideal QuickBooks replacement should have (aside from the basics) to be taken seriously:



    1. Credit Card (Merchant) services integrated into the app.



    2. Payroll



    3. Ability to deal with International Sales Taxes



    4. Downloadable transactions from banks.



    5. The Killer feature - Integrated Receipt Scanning.



    Solutions like Neat Receipts already exist on Windows, but not yet on the Mac. Integrating the scanning of receipts and linking them directly to every transaction would be a game changer. Of course, if you're going to charge extra for a USB receipt scanner, it makes sense to have software to read business cards and enter them directly into Address Book.
  • Reply 32 of 51
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member
    We're less than 48 hours away from 2008, and I'm thinking about my accounting options for the New Year.



    Anybody heard anything about when QB Pro might be released? Is MWSF a possibility?
  • Reply 33 of 51
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member
    Yikes. Another day, another QuickBooks scare. At this rate, a lot of people are going to be skeptical of QB 2008 when it is released.
  • Reply 34 of 51
    Guys,



    Intuit is just like M$FT, they don't give a flip about Mac users!!!!!!!



    MYOB is excellent and has real useful features.... now.. so forget Quickbooks please!!!!!!





    iBank is pretty damn good. Useful and well thought out. I dropped Quicken because it is crap!!!!!!



    Don't waste anymore time on this... leave Intuit and their pay for f'ing support the hell alone!
  • Reply 35 of 51
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pbbaker123 View Post


    Guys,



    Intuit is just like M$FT, they don't give a flip about Mac users!!!!!!!



    MYOB is excellent and has real useful features.... now.. so forget Quickbooks please!!!!!!



    iBank is pretty damn good. Useful and well thought out. I dropped Quicken because it is crap!!!!!!



    Don't waste anymore time on this... leave Intuit and their pay for f'ing support the hell alone!



    Unfortunately, MYOB sold out their Canadian customers in 2001 and handed them over to Intuit.

    Intuit then abandoned all their Canadian Mac users in 2006.



    Neither company has any real credibility up here right now. Canadian Apple Stores only carry MoneyWorks.

    The hope is that with QuickBooks 2008, Canadian needs have been anticipated and we will have a top-tier software house return to the market.



    Canadian small businesses need accounting software to track Federal and Provincial Sales taxes, which neither iBank nor FinanceToGo does yet.
  • Reply 36 of 51
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Frank777 View Post


    Unfortunately, MYOB sold out their Canadian customers in 2001 and handed them over to Intuit.

    Intuit then abandoned all their Canadian Mac users in 2006.



    Neither company has any real credibility up here right now. Canadian Apple Stores only carry MoneyWorks.

    The hope is that with QuickBooks 2008, Canadian needs have been anticipated and we will have a top-tier software house return to the market.



    Canadian small businesses need accounting software to track Federal and Provincial Sales taxes, which neither iBank nor FinanceToGo does yet.



    I wish there were an alternative to Quicken, but there isn't. MoneyDance comes the closet in my tests. iBank looks good, but has real problems and can't handle large account histories.



    The one feature that no one seems to be able to do is automated account reconciliation like Quicken does. I suspect this is because Quicken has locked up the banks and locked out everyone else.



    So I am waiting--with Quicken 2007 running on a PC that I keep around only for that--to see if Intuit will release a Mac version that is worth buying. I wish someone else could compete but I suspect that the banks, which are very conservative institutions, are not going to be welcoming to any new companies trying to usurp Intuit.



    There are many forum threads in the MoneyDance forums about how you can't tell your bank that you are using their product, but have to lie and say that it's Quicken for them to enable your account. Sheesh, I'd like to see the FTC look into this one.

  • Reply 37 of 51
    Just read through MWSF exhibitors list and Intuit is going to be there.



    Their website is pushing their online Quicken beta, as if I'm going to put my financial data online in a BETA program!!!!!!?????? That said, the price is right $2.95/month, although I didn't read the details as to storage and all because of the beta issue, but it is a lot less than updating every year at $70 a pop.



    If they can convince me of its security, add investment tracking and have a large enough storage allotment, then I could be very tempted.



    But there is still the possibility of a Quicken 2008 Mac version. I guess we will see what Intuit has in store for its Mac customers in about 4 days.
  • Reply 38 of 51
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member
    The news is here. And it's not good.



    We'll be waiting till Fall 2008 for Quicken. No word yet (that I can find) on QuickBooks.
  • Reply 39 of 51
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Frank777 View Post


    The news is here. And it's not good..



    Wow...



    Intuit has lost its collective mind. And they expect us to pay for this hobbled crap?



    I guess the best revenge is to load up my Quicken 2007 PC version under Boot Camp. Or go buy the MacHeist bundle with Cha-Ching, which I have to admit doesn't do it for me.



    I know that they want everyone running their new web version, but there is no way I trust Intuit with my financial data. They can't even update their own software without screwing it up, so why would anyone trust them to safeguard their account numbers on the web?



  • Reply 40 of 51
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member
    The makers of iBank 3 seem to have issued a press release stating that it is coming, but have not released screenshots or updated their site with information.
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