Todd,

My favorite part of my job is actually when I get to talk to customers like you. I’m sorry that you are not happy. Our intention here is to be transparent ahead of time with folks.

Chelsea

I, like so many others have been waiting patiently for the next Quicken for Mac.
I had assumed that this would provide all of the features of Quicken of Windows (more is acceptable, but anything less is not).
I would like to mirror the general consensus that your marketing research regarding the requirements of Mac users is totally off-base.
A simplified product is not what I want, or apparently any of the posters to this blog, and I suspect 99% of the MAC market.

I’ve been using Quicken for Mac since 1998, and upgrading to each new version as it came along. But if it’s true that 2010 won’t have tracking of stock buys and sells, and a way to figure capital gains – I’m gone. I’ll keep using 2007 until another company steps up to the plate with the capability I need. It’s just unbelievable that a company the size of Intuit can’t develop a product like Quicken for Windows for the Mac platform.

Chelsea, I performed the steps as you suggested. When I hit download, I got the message “connecting to your financial institution”. The message stays on for less then 5 seconds, then disappears. I’m never asked for my password and no download occurs. Any suggestions appreciated.

Thanks, Christy

Re Jo’s comment/post, 20 Sep 09

Bravo, well said!

How it is that Intuit has determined that a Mac user’s investment needs are (somehow) different from a PC user’s, remains a mystery to me. Perhaps Chelsea or another Team member would care to explain. Perhaps no one has posted that sort of thing…

Don’t ya just love the Intuit mantra: “We are Listening”. I suggest they say it louder and more often. That sort of thing has worked in the past and I have no doubt that spin shall continue.

In conclusion, I wish to praise the Intuit/Mac development team. They did listen. Really. They dropped the “Quicken Financial Life For Mac” name, and, successfully ignored the wishes for capability and substituted gloss. I feel better already…

CHelsea,

I followed the exact directions you gave Christy and couldn’t get the program to import my Fidelity 529s either. Plus, my 401k is with MassMutual, which isn’t even on the list.I need cost basis data etc. but can’t even get all balances into this program…

I just can only underline what Jo wrote on 21.9.09:
The only reason why I use Parallels on my MAC is for that f… Quicken. I really really wonder why nobody makes a fortune with presenting a similar financila software solution for Macusers, who should have more money than that single PC-dummy. Indcredible, wonderig for years now!

Jo,

Well stated -

I completely concur!

Chris:

Thanks for your post. Did you miss the video we posted this month with an update?

Thanks,
Scott

I’m new to this discussion and a relatively new convert to Mac from Windows (it works so much better than Window!). I’m currently running Q7 for Windows through VM Ware and its about to kill me. But its better than the existing QFM because of its lack of features compared to its Windows counterpart. I’ve read through much of the discussion and am amazed that Intuit is not mirroring the Windows version in its new Mac release. The most unbelievable part relates to the apparent unwillingness to include cost basis in the new release. Is Intuit aware that it will soon be a regulatory requirement for broker dealers to calculate cost basis for its customers (but that doesn’t mean it will be a requirement for such data to be included in any download to Quicken as implied in the video). Specifically, it is part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, otherwise know as the “bailout” bill. There will be 3 phases requiring cost basis reporting:

1. Equities on or after Jan 1 2011;
2. Mutual Funds by Jan 1 2012; and
3. Options, bonds, private placements etc. by Jan 1 2013.

If its so important that it will become a regulatory requirement for BD’s and given the overwhelming discussion requesting that it be included, why is Intuit not building this functionality into the new Mac release?

Scott, your response to Rick (’We’d certainly be sorry to lose you but would fully understand’) is outrageous. If I took that kind of attitude with my customers, I wouldn’t be in business long. Has Intuit’s arrogance reached a level that you think people will by your product regardless of its content? Let’s hope you guys start listening to your customers that think its important enough to post a response on your blog.

Just mirror your Windows version. How hard can that be?

Is the point of this dialogue mainly just so we can see where you’re headed and (as Scott keeps saying) decide whether the product is for us or we want to look elsewhere? Or are you genuinely looking for feedback? If the latter, I’d have to ask why at this point. Clearly the “vast majority” of posters here and at Inner Circle–probably 98 percent of us–are loudly pleading for Windows parity and advanced investment features. But meanwhile, we keep being told that the “vast majority” want something else–i.e. a very basic program unlike the Windows version and without advanced investment features. So if we’re not only so unlike Windows users but also so completely unlike the vast majority of your target audience, why listen to us at all?

Add in my need for cost basis determination in Q-10. There is no use in seeing just the current balance, if you don’t know if it has returned 10% or 20% or maybe -20% over a specified period of time. Anyone who invests needs to know what their return has been over a specified period of time so they can decide whether to change their investment mix to maybe improve their return. If all you report is that your account is worth $100,000 it really means nothing. Did you start with $90,000 last month? Or $110,000? How about if you added more money to the account from elsewhere and bought another investment? That has a HUGE bearing on how your investments are doing. If Q-10 is going to be a replacement for Q-7, it really NEEDS to have this feature in it, or there will be quite a large number of Mac users that will not purchase it.

After our final products are released, we can talk about precisely what new features will be added. For now, we’re listening to your feedback and speaking to the large, overarching questions (i.e. questions about investments) before launch so you can make the best decision for you.

Getting micro-specific on features won’t happen until the product is on the market. But here, you can find out where we’re headed directionally before the product is out. Stay tuned for more information on Quicken 2010 in about a month. Thanks for your patience, as always.

- Chelsea

Rick:

Again, we’re building the first version of this new Mac product to fit the needs of the vast majority of customers.

I am sorry it won’t fit your needs. That is why we’re communicating now, well in advance of product release so you can make the best choice for your financial situation. We’d certainly be sorry to lose you but would fully understand.

Thanks,
Scott

OMG.

I just went back and listened to your video update with the dry erase board in the background, and was astonished to hear how carefully chosen his words were.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that INTUIT is including COST-BASIS determination in the software. It WILL NOT therefore be able to calculate individual rate of return, annual return, or change since purchase. It will not be able to track individual lots of stocks purchased over different periods of time. It will not have half the capability of the PC version.

Why not?

I am really disappointed in INTUIT, and the response you gave about how USERS DO NOT WANT THAT FUNCTIONALITY is utterly absurd and INSULTING. Anyone who has any business or interest tracking investments is certainly smart enough to see through this smoke screen and would certainly want this functionality. To say otherwise is maddening. I am really disappointed that Mint.com was just taken over by intuit, because I wouldn’t want any additional time or advertising dollars to flow to intuit through my use of Mint.com, which is becoming the likely candidate for my needs. (Or do you think, as a MAC user, I don’t know what my needs are?)

With all these posts, please clarify, specifically.
I have my own investment accounts through fidelity, vanguard, and banc of america investments.

These are not managed by the brokerage. They are managed by me.

WILL I BE ABLE TO TRACK HOW WELL MY VARIOUS PORTFOLIOS ARE DOING?

WILL I BE ABLE TO TRACK INDIVIDUAL STOCKS AND FUNDS IN EACH PORTFOLIO?

WILL I BE ABLE TO TRACK MY RATE OF RETURN FOR INDIVIDUAL STOCKS/FUNDS AS WELL AS THE PORTFOLIO AS A WHOLE?

WILL I BE ABLE TO SEE MY COST-BASIS FOR INDIVIDUAL STOCKS/FUNDS AS WELL AS THE PORTFOLIO AS A WHOLE?

IF YOU’RE ANSWER TO ANY OF THESE IS NO, I WILL BE REALLY P.O.’d…

If you think that quicken customers don’t want to have this information, why do you have it available for the PC version?

Are they somehow different from MAC users?

Other than the fact that MAC users are a little Cult-ish, their money-management and investment tracking needs ARE EXACTLY THE SAME.

Or did my needs change when I bought a MAC?

OK, apparently Intuit’s customer research indicates that the majority of users don’t track investment transactions in Quicken, the comments here and at Inner Circle notwithstanding. I find that a little surprising, but let’s say only 10% of users want this feature (and trust me, they REALLY want it). Quicken has more than 15 million users. What sense does it make to walk away from 1.5 million of them? And why is it that a company with more than $3 billion in revenues in the current fiscal year can’t come up with the resources to deliver a product that satisfies nearly all of its users? Finally, what will happen to Intuit when the 90% of users who may not need investment features discover that the basic features they do want are available in a whole lot of absolutely free Mac software products?

Jon:

Thanks for your comment.

The fact is only a small percentage of customers use that functionality. I realize that you and many others do use it and are not happy with this development. For that, I am sorry we won’t meet your needs with the new Quicken Mac 2010.

Perhaps future iterations of the product will have this.

Thanks,
Scott

Can I ask a real basic question:

WHY can’t INTUIT simply make a QUICKEN for MAC product that has similar features to QUICKEN for PC?

The best feature of Quicken for PC, in my estimation, is the ability to track return on investment and the overall increase in value over the cost-basis of stocks and mutual funds.

Rather than asking What QFM will and will not have, I would rather ask, WHY NOT? Everyone loves Q for PC.

For reasons too complicated to get into, the computer I use for finances is still running Tiger, and still has Quicken 2004. Will Quicken 2010 work with Tiger, or only with Leopard and Snow Leopard? And will I be able to import all of my data from Quicken 2004? Thanks.

Multi Currency features are a must in today’s society. Even the cheapest accounting softwares for Mac have it. Some better than others, but still … If you are target marketing the general population that only keeps track of their checking account and investments locally I can understand, but if you want a realistic profit market, why wouldn’t you add this feature and grab the whole globe. It doesn’t make basic business sense … when you comment that you have listened and learned, stand behind that and add this feature. If you do, you will most likely have the unbeatable product people have come to expect. Without it, it’s just a basic accounting program for a personal use, but certainly not for a business in today’s world ….

Hi Rick,

We won’t have an app available for Quicken for Mac but we do have our free Quicken Online Mobile app (to be used in conjunction with Quicken Online) if you’re interested.

Chelsea, Quicken

please disregard last post… (DO NOT POST IT PLEASE!) i re-watched the video… but to be honest a feature list and some screen shots would be nice…

Everyone,

For those that have asked for a video update on what’s included in Quicken for Mac and what’s not, check out our new post:
http://blog.quicken.intuit.com/announcement/2009/09/11/quicken-for-mac-2010-update-for-september-2009/

Thanks,
Chelsea, Quicken

Chelsea – If you’re really interested in what we have to say, just answer the question that has appeared in this blog and “community” over a dozen times (without a definitive answer): Will QFM have investment tracking? Yes or No?

Hi Rick,

We’ll keep putting updates on the blog, some of which will be more substantial than others (screen shots, videos) depending on the product cycle and what’s ready to show and what would be better illustrated (like in the case of investments today) by other means, like the white board.

I’m interested to hear what others have to say as well. We’re trying to help folks understand ahead of time what the product will and won’t do so that they can make decisions about what finance solutions work best for them.

- Chelsea

Two improvements, please: Make register windows “sticky.” That is, when summoned, they should be the size and shape to which I last set them. The entry point should be in the Date item of the “new” entry at the bottom of the window.

And… the Find window should have memory. I almost always want to search the Payee/Description field, “Matching if… Contains,” in Account… “Current,” and with Search Direction “Backward.” After I set it that way once, that should be how it appears every time I use it, until I change its setup.

Fingers crossed….

What if you are already a Quicken customer, and are currently using Quicken 2007 for Mac? Will there be a reduced “upgrade” price for existing Quicken Users?

I was taking a look at Quicken for Mac 2010, and I was wondering if Image-ready cheques are supported? You are leaving Canadian mac users out in the cold.

Also would be nice if there were a rental version!!!!!

Hi Rolf,

The information from Quicken Online cannot be exported to Quicken 2010.

Thanks,
Chelsea, Quicken

Will there be a Canadian version release in the near future?

I’ve been a quicken user since 1995. I’ve been a Mac Quicken user since 2005 (although it seems like an eternity.) I’m a simple person. I hope you are not loading this new Quicken for Mac up with a zillion “cool” features that will cost a month’s rent. If I could just PRINT a check without the whole thing quitting, I would be happy. Consider doing what you do with Turbo Tax–have different levels for more complex operations.
Cheers,
Mary

Thanks Chelsea, that makes me feel better about the screenshot that appears on the Quicken Blog under “Quicken for Mac 2010 Update for August 2009″.

OK – Now I’m REALLY CONFUSED! Everything I’ve been reading since you revised the release date of “Quicken For Mac” has led me to believe that QFLM is no more. Imagine my surprise today when I opened an email, dated 9/2/09, from “Heathrow 2″ (the QFLM beta team at Intuit) with a link (I was a beta tester for QFLM) to the NEW QFLM beta (v. 1.0b2949)! What the heck’s going on over there? Doesn’t the Heathrow team know that their project (QFLM) has been scrapped? Or is QFM just “vaporware?

thanks… i’m sure you’re getting bombarded, but you should know it’s only because many of us have had a great experience with quicken for the pc and we are anxious to see similar features applied to what is likely to be a more creative mac version… can you at least say it will have some similarities to the former?

thanks

Rick:

Thanks for your comment. We’re sharing what we can. As a public company, there are implications of our comments about things as seemingly innocent as product features. I am sorry you’re not getting the information you feel you need now. With the product release happening in February, we still have a ways to go and we will be communicating with customers all along.

Thanks for your continued patience.

Best,
Scott

should we now jump ship and go with an online software provider? People, including myself, have been asking for some kind of information, including whether or not certain basic features will be available… Bottom line, the software has been developed and for some unknown reason, intuit will not release even the most basic of information on (or a basic list of features of) its product… yet it expects people to pre-pay…

Alex:

Thanks again for your comments.

We have been sharing information and will show more detailed information via video very soon. We appreciate your patience and we’ve been actively communicating with customers daily both on the Quicken Blog and in the Quicken Live Community.

Best,
Scott

Bob – It is frustrating; I talked to my bank about it and they said that it’s strictly a function of the bank, rather than the software. I’ve checked with some other sources, too, e.g. Wells Fargo works as does Chase Mastercard; however, my credit union does not (although they do support online banking with the QWin version). The “tech guy” at my bank actually said that “not enough people use Macs to justify the cost in updates and manpower to make it accessible to its customers”. Way to go Pacific Community Credit Union – customers first!

I have been a PC Quicken user for many years; I really liked the convenience of one-step updates to update my IRA and 401-K, my banking accounts and my credit card accounts. This year I switched from PC to Apple IMAC and I purchased Quicken 2007 for MAC. The one-step updates will not work for the same financial institutions in MAC as it did for the same financial institutions in PC! I must now go to each account independently and download the information (like I use to do 10 years ago with the PC). And although TD Ameritrade is a compatible financial institution, I can not access my account since I must use my financial advisor’s client web address in TD Ameritrade (different than the standard one). I find that I can not modify the web address for the financial institution in Quicken 2007 for MAC, whereas I could in Quicken 2007 for PC — I am back to using a spreadsheet for my IRA!! I hope that this is addressed in the 2010 release?

No multi-currency support? I can’t understand why such a feature would be missing. I am running a 2008 version of Quicken in a Windows VM – the only reason why I even have Win running at all…
Now I hear that when the new Mac version is released 2 years after I bought my current Windows version I can’t even have something as basic as multiple currencies?
That would render the entire purchase useless to me as I maintain 15 or so accounts – some in Euros, some in Dollars.

I am stunned…and I surely will not spend a premium price (as I am sure the Mac version will be at) for once again less functionality…

Steve:

Sorry it won’t fit your needs in relation to multi-currency.

Thanks,
Scott

It’s nice to know that Intuit is at least thinking about Mac users. I truly like intuit software, and I want to keep using it. The difficulty in using Quicken is that more and more our financial worlds use multiple currencies. Sure, I can sit there and calculate exchange rates for every transaction, but I could do that with a simple spreadsheet much more efficiently than I can with Quicken. It begs the question, if quicken is set up in such a way that I need to use other tools to make it work, than why is it worth my money, or time?

If Intuit is interested in continuing to attract a user base that will actually put their software to use and share their positive experiences with friends, family, blogs, etc… then Intuit will have to develop software worth raving about. It does not work the other way around. We don’t rave about what a software might do so that intuit can go create it. So please, spare us the pomp and circumstance. If you have a product for us to use in February 2010, then announce it when you have it. Too much water under that bridge for Mac users to take Intuit at it’s word.

Looking forward t your new mac product. If Intuit actually puts it out… I will try it. If it’s good I will buy it, and tell everyone.

I doubt it will be on-time, I doubt it will have foreign currency support, I doubt it will have a windows comparable feature-set.

I hope Intuit proves me wrong.

Carlos

I was one of the beta testers for QFL and it had so many problems and so many missing features that it was impossible even to test effectively. For some bizarre reason, the developers wanted to make QFL look and act completely unlike any other Quicken version I’ve used on either the PC or the Mac. For example, QFL has/had was a fuzzy “coverflow” view of my accounts. What idiot thought users would want QFL to look like iTunes?

Nothing in QFL made sense and I eventually deleted QFL from my system. It was just plain weird. Let’s hope the QFL developers look at the PC version of Quicken and incorporate all the excellent features of that package.

Every Mac version of Quicken has been compared unfavorably with the concurrent PC version of Quicken. That should tell you something. People love PC Quicken and find the Mac version lacking. So… if Intuit makes the Mac version as similar as possible to the PC version, people will buy it. ‘Nuff said.

The only thing that I miss from ms money is the ability to forecast my cash flow out 1 year and see a daily balance, with my quicken for mac it averages it somehow which is not a true representation of cash flow…i really hope this will change

hello i am from germany and use the quicken 2010 for windows. I want buy the new version of Q2010 for mac. My question is if the new Q2010 provides german ?

Alex,

As we have information available that we can share, we will. Stay tuned for more information later. At this present time, we can’t share detailed information about features that aren’t ready to bring to market.

Thanks so much,
Chelsea

Recently purchased a Mac but currently performing personal finances on a PC with Microsoft Money… will it be possible to transfer my financial records from my PC in MS Money to my Mac in Quicken?

Thanks,
Dan

Steve:

I don’t believe we’ll have multiple currency support in this new release.

Thanks,
Scott

Here is the problem. Quicken 2007 is a Power PC operating system based software. All modern up to date software applications for Apple OSX are either Universal or Intel based software. When Apple releases OSX Snow Leopard in October, Quicken 2007 will not work properly without adding Rosetta as an overlay to interpret Power PC software for Intel based Apple computers. How can Intuit be so far behind the curve in software development? I guess we’ll finally have to switch to (xxx) or some other financial software. To bad. We’ve been a Quicken user for 15 years. Like the Intuit sales pitch above; promises made, promises broken.

That is sooo disappointing. As a Quicken for Mac user, I’ve been holding my breath for a new app and trying to resist going back to running Quicken for Windows on Parallels. Total and complete disappointment with Intuit. Now you’re asking us to suspend disbelief that you will really have a product released in February. Sorry, but we’re skeptical at the least, flat out don’t believe you at most. Selling out Inuit stock. Getting out of Quicken altogether. Sooo disappointed.

Hi Grace,

Making it possible for you to transfer your data is one of our top priorities. We put up a new post yesterday, check it out. In that post we recommend that you visit our new Live Community discussion thread on Quicken for Mac. It’s a peer-to-peer community where you can discuss the product with other customers, and hear from our product team about once a week.

Thanks,
Chelsea, Quicken

Hi Pete,

The link is not broken. The link leads you to our investor relations page. What we’re trying to tell you is that given that we’re a publicly traded company, we’re telling you as much as we can. Thanks so much for trying to stay positive. The video is coming at the end of the month as we note in the post: “Later this month, we share even more about Quicken Windows conversion and I’ll walk you through the process in a short video. Stay tuned, and thanks so much for your patience.” We’ll continue with updates as we’ve got fully baked features to share along the way.

Chelsea, Quicken

I have been using Quicken for Window for more than 10 years. The most current version I’m using is Quicken 2000. I’m thinking about buying a IMac. Would the new Quicken for Mac enable me to transfer all my records and files in the Quicken 2000 to a IMac accurately so that I can continue the best feature I love in Quicken, calculating performance of my investment portfolio?

Pete,

Here is some more information. We’re showing you what we can when we have information available. Check it out.

- Chelsea, Quicken

Pete:

Thanks for your post. There’s lots of info coming soon. Look for a new post in the next 10 days.

Thanks,
Scott

Chelsea,

I really do want to stick with you guys, but Scott posted on 10 July:

“Please hang with us and we’ll start showing you functionality soon…”

It’s a month later and information will still be posted “soon”

It’s getting tough to keep the faith….

Pete

Peter,

File conversion is a top priority for us in with Quicken for Mac (coming Feb. 2010). I’d suggest you wait since that is your main concern. We’re working on making that process much easier in our new product.

Chelsea, Quicken

One more question: A month ago on this page, there was talk by Scott from Intuit about 1) live online chats with your developers, so users could get their questions answered; 2) an expanded FAQ about the new product to further address our questions; and 3) screen shots and videos coming soon. So far, I’ve seen none of that. Am I looking in the wrong places?

Hi Jeff,

We’re in a limited beta – we’ve moved from the larger QFLM group of participants to a limited group. It is no longer a public beta as we’ve gathered lots of great feedback from Inner Circle and our larger beta, and are now narrowing our focus as we get closer to launch. Thanks so much for any feedback you’ve provided us with. The product team frequents Inner Circle; your suggestions don’t go unaccounted for at all.

Chelsea, Quicken

Hi Jamie,

Quicken Financial Life does not exist in beta anymore, you are correct. We’re in beta for the new product that will be out in February 2010, Quicken for Mac. You won’t be able to transfer data from the beta to the new final product. As with any beta, we suggested during the beta process that you back-up your old data and keep a copy of it on hand (betas aren’t final products and are subject to change).

Chelsea, Quicken

What’s the migration path for MSMoneyPlus owners to get to Quicken for Mac?

I’ve always said one of the reasons I haven’t switched to Mac is MSMoney….

My question is somewhat basic: Why do you feel you have to reinvent the wheel? Why can’t your Mac product be kept in lockstep with your Windows product? I don’t see the need to consider a Mac user’s financial needs any differently than that of a Windows user. As different as our philosophies might be concerning computing hardware and operating systems, I bet we all have nearly the same needs when it comes to using a credit card and balancing a checkbook.

So, simply walk down the hall, talk to your Windows colleagues and make the Mac version ‘look and feel’ just like theirs (ok, fine, you can put the little red / yellow / green buttons on the left side). While you’re at it, go to wherever it is that your master schedules are maintained and copy whatever update / release information is found in the Windows column to the Mac column.

On July 29, referring to the QLC forum for information on the new Quicken for Mac, Scott wrote: “James…it’s coming for overall Mac…hang tight. Sorry you’re not feeling we’ll deliver a quality product. We’ll have to earn back your trust.”

How’s adding a category to that forum going, Scott? It will soon be two weeks since Chelsea directed us to the not-yet-existing source of information. When do you think it will be ready?

I give the Intuit folks a lot of credit for allowing all these anti-Intuit, anti-Quicken comments to be posted. I’m sure a lot of companies would not allow this on their own Web site. At the same time, I hope the people at Intuit understand that these are not the ravings of a few nuts; that it’s no coincidence that hundreds of people are all saying virtually the same things; and that for everyone who comments, there are undoubtedly many more who feel similarly but haven’t posted. Intuit has done a couple of very big things very well–notably Quicken for Windows and Turbotax–but Quicken for Mac has been a disaster for years, and the last few years have not inspired confidence with the multiple delays and the mess that was QFL. Moreover, Intuit phone support has always been awful (even for Quicken Windows) and some of the company’s policies (e.g. phasing out online features for three-year-old versions) haven’t helped. As someone suggested in a recent post here, it’s hard to see how Intuit can go from QFL a few months ago to a program that delivers what users clearly want by Feb. 2010. (Just to be clear, what everyone seems to want is a program that delivers a similar feature set to the Windows version and that allows for easy import from that program.) I sure hope they can do it, but I sure understand the skepticism.

Hang on – you worked on “Quicken Financial Life for Mac” for how long? (Let’s agree it was more than 7 months since it was in beta for six+ I believe.)

And you’re scrapping it all for “Quicken for Mac” in July to be available in February?

So that’s coding from scratch, alpha release, beta testing, a release candidate or two, and finally production … all in SEVEN months? Yeah, that should work well.

And I should feel better trusting my financial portfolio to that project schedule … over what … a 10-key adding maching and a pencil with an eraser?

Yikes, your own press release convinced me to not wait around any longer.

Thank goodness, in 2010, it’ll feel like a native app though. At least you’ve implicitly admitted to ignoring the platform for the last 8 or so years of OS X with that statement.

Best of luck.

First time shame on you, second through tenth times, well, shame on you.

I’ve worked through this “dialogue” from Jully 9 to yesterday, and I find it incredible. It isn’t a dialogue. It’s a lot of fine-sounding declarations (we’re listening. we want to hear, we’re committed to this and that, etc) together with evasive non-answers to questions. The people replying on behalf of Quicken sound like politicians trying to defend the indefensible.

This is not personal. When I say “you”, I mean any and all of those who speak for Quicken.

Here’s a quote from many I could have chosen:

“Regarding any other requests for detailed features, we will not be posting that information in this forum. We have already stated what you’ll be able to do in Quicken Mac and will leave that as it stands.”

No, you haven’t. You haven’t even got close to answering the question “Will I be able to do the same things as I can do in the Windows version?”

Let’s try one very simple, very specific question. (It happens to be quite important for me, but I’m not the only one who’s asked.) I’ll make it easy: I’ll give you all the possible answers. Please choose one. Please.

QUESTION: Will I be able to maintain registers in more than one currency, but still have transactions and balances translated into my home currency for reporting?

ANSWERS:

1. Yes.
2. No.
3. We don’t know.
4. We know but we’re not telling you.

Howard,

“I deeply appreciate the transparency and responsiveness this blog offers. ”

Well, I guess YOU might consider “we can’t tell you anything about the features” and “we’re listening, but don’t expect us to change our plans on the basis of universal feedback” and “yes, we’ve screwed up the last 3 versions, but you’ll have to trust us” to be transparent and responsive, but I sure wouldn’t.

When it comes to personal finance, Quicken is the only REAL game in town. I have been a Loyal Quicken user since the early 90’s… always using a windows platform. But my son encouraged me to use a new iMac and I was SOLD ON THE iMAC. It is an Apple GUI sitting on top of UNIX. When I learned that Quickens MAC offering was a DUMBED DOWN financial package compared to that of Windows… I was disappointed! To say the least, however, thanks to PARALLELS I was able to RUN WINDOWS XP and continue using Quicken. NOW… AFTER 4 YEARS OF WAITING… AND AMBIGUOUS STATEMENTS FROM QUICKEN… I want to believe this latest BLOG is believable… and for me QUICKEN’S INTEGRITY IS ON THE LINE. WILL THEY DO WHAT THEY PROMISE… and more importantly… will their windows programers utilize the POWER OF UNIX to right a superior program than Quicken for Windows????? I guess time will tell, and then we can all make our judgements about the Quicken BRAND and it’s MANAGEMENT.

I’ve been a PC Quicken user for 12+ years. Three years ago I bought a MAC, and have successfully transferred everything but Quicken onto the MAC platform. I currently use an old PC laptop to run Quicken, having experimented with boot camp as an alternative and discarding it because it’s cumbersome switching back and forth. So I have been waiting – and watching – with varying degrees of patience over the past three years for a reasonable MAC-based Quicken to replace my PC Quicken system. And, like many others, I’m getting near the end of my rope!

QFL scared the dickens out of me. For me the genius of Quicken has been that it respected traditional accounting rules but simplified their use. I use tags in iPhoto and couldn’t survive without them there. But I could see that the design process in QFL had really lost its way in not starting from a premise of the assignment of a category (or primary tag if you will) for each transaction. So I’m pleased to hear that you’re regrouping. My hope is that you’ll rediscover that original principle which is what made Quicken Quicken in the first place.

So I’m adding my voice to the chorus. I deeply appreciate the transparency and responsiveness this blog offers. But the bottom line is that you have to get Quicken for MAC right this time – and on time – or you’ll lose one very patient customer – me. It doesn’t have to look or feel like a MAC, but it does have to look and feel like Quicken.

All this dialog about QFM running on Snow Leopard has prompted me to query, “Will QMac 2007 work on Snow Leopard?” – if you know – if not, can you find out for me?

(a) Yes, Quicken for Mac 2010 will have at least a minimal amount of investment tracking. (Can you say it will track bank accounts?)

(b) No, Quicken for Mac 2010 will have no investment account capability. It will only be banking/checkbook/budgeting.

Sorry to be so blunt, but a little acknowledgement of what Q 2010 will or wont have would be helpful. If I wait and there is no investment account readability… I will be really ticked off…
Thanks
R

Scott,

You keep saying you’re going to tell us stuff, share videos, screen shots, etc. about the new Quicken. However, it’s nearly a month since this blog was posted and we don’t know anything more about Quicken Mac 2010. If you want to overcome the well-deserved horrible reputation Intuit has, you need to start providing answers.

Mark Hollis:
“Everyone here should know that Intuit’s application will not work under Snow Leopard, until they release a Universal Binary version, which they are saying will come in February.”

Mark, I am not a supporter of Intuit and think that they’ve messed up their Mac apps across the board, so this is not a knee-jerk reaction.

Quicken 2006 runs just fine under Snow Leopard. I have no reason to think that Quicken 2007 won’t run (and Intuit reported that it runs fine). Snow Leopard will run PPC apps using Rosetta. The statement that PPC apps won’t work is just plain wrong.

Please stop spreading mis-information. Intuit’s Mac support is bad enough without more FUD.

Scott-

Yes, there is confusion.

The confusion is caused when I audit the applications on my Mac and Quicken 2007 tells me (in Apple’s “Get Info”) that it’s a PPC (only) application. Apple’s website clearly states that PPC applications will not run under Snow Leopard and I wonder if Apple is sending out versions of SL “for testing” that run Rosetta for the convenience of the beta testers and application programmers.

Quicken for the France sooner !????

Richard:

Again, we’ll be sharing product details soon. There’s no way any review/site could have any details since we haven’t released any. Any reviews you are seeing could be an out-of-date beta which is not accurate.

Thanks,
Scott

As you know there are a number of web-based programs/sites that will do all this for you and will allow access from any computer with web-access. The security issues are somewhat unclear which is primarily what drives people away from the web and back to their desktops. If websites continue to market their security features, it will definitely draw mac users away from quicken/intuit… UNLESS you can at least provide some anticipatory information with regard to the most basic features your product will have (banking, reconcilliation, check-writing, budgeting, loan maintenance, investment tracking, etc.)… Just asking for a yes or no to the investment aspect.
Thanks

Mark Hollis:

There is lot of misinformation circulating about Snow Leopard (as you’ve found). While SL won’t run on PPC hardware, that doesn’t mean it won’t run PPC apps. Rosetta is still available.

Quicken 2006 works under SL, so I assume that Quicken 2007 does, as well. If you have a problem, you can always set up a dual boot system with a small Leopard partition, as well.

Steve Z:

I don’t know the answer to that question…I will check with the product folks and get back to you next week.

Thanks,
Scott

Man, what a risky strategy.

I’ve been a QW user since the beginning and suffered w/QFM since converting from Windows. I’ve sampled every trial competitor out of disgust, and one is worse then the next. Perhaps admitting QLFM wasn’t good enough will win some loyalty back from folks like me, but if a better product is released before 2/10 and gets good reviews, many will never come back. By 2/10 a cloud ap (”Google Money” anyone?) could threaten the whole model.

I hope it’s worth the wait.

I have been auditing my Mac lately in advance of Snow Leopard’s release and looking at how to upgrade those applications that will need to be either Intel or Universal Binary applications. To my surprise, Quicken 2007 was one of those.

So I went to Intuit’s website and asked if the folks at Intuit understood that a February release would prevent Quicken users from being able to manage their finances if they upgraded to Snow Leopard. Here is the conversation, verbatim:

Prem Kumar: Welcome to Quicken chat support. My name is Prem Kumar. Please give me a moment while I review the info you provided.
Mark Hollis: Thanks, Prem.
Prem Kumar: Hi Mark
Prem Kumar: Thanks for your patience.
Mark Hollis: Can you answer my question?
Prem Kumar: May I know what is this “Snow Leopard” ?
Mark Hollis:  http://www.apple.com/macosx/
Prem Kumar: Please give me a moment .
Mark Hollis: It’s Apple’s 64-bit operating system, due in about a month.
Mark Hollis: Prem, please tell me if you have no information for Macintosh users. I’ve been using Quicken for the Mac to manage my personal finances since the 1990s. I should talk to someone who does actually know about the Mac version of Quicken.
Prem Kumar: I really do appreciate your patience and apologize for the delayed response.
Prem Kumar: Mark , I would like to inform you that in the operating system which has come before snow Leopard. that was also don’t have Rosetta technology, but still Quicken works there , but in the case snow , it has not been tasted so far .
Mark Hollis: Leopard uses Rosetta. That is OS X 10.5 and what Rosetta does is it allows people who have Intel-based Macintosh computers to use applications designed for the Power PC processor. Quicken 2007 is designed for the Power PC and does not run natively on Intel.
Prem Kumar: Yes, I am very much aware about that .
Mark Hollis: With Apple’s OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Apple is doing away with Power PC code and wants everyone to run Intel-native applications or applications that are “Universal Binary” applications that run on both.
Mark Hollis: I am currently auditing my computer.
Mark Hollis: I have gone through my applications and I shall have to upgrade several to be able to take advantage of Snow Leopard on my Intel Mac.
Mark Hollis: Quicken 2007 is a Power PC-only application.
Mark Hollis: It does not run on Intel processors.
Mark Hollis: But it will run just fine under Rosetta.
Mark Hollis: But Rosetta ends with OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard).
Mark Hollis: Snow Leopard is out in September.
Mark Hollis: I make television for a living and will need to upgrade to take advantage of Apple’s new video editing software.
Prem Kumar: Well, I cannot commit about snow if Quicken will work on it or not .
Mark Hollis: But Intuit’s application (according to what I understand from Apple) will not run on Snow Leopard unless it is upgraded to be a Universal Binary or Intel-native.
Prem Kumar: I see..
Mark Hollis: Do you understand my quandary?
Prem Kumar: Thanks for the information which you have shared with me .
Mark Hollis: Prem, I dropped some $8,000 on a new Mac Pro for editing television and it is my only Mac.
Mark Hollis: I need to also be able to keep my bank accounts straight and I use Quicken for that.
Prem Kumar: ok
Mark Hollis: I realize that the folks at Intuit don’t really anticipate people dropping that much on a computer to run their application, but Final Cut Studio needs the horsepower.
Mark Hollis: And I shall need the technologies in Snow Leopard to be competitive with other people doing what I do.
Mark Hollis: Can we light a fire under Intuit’s programmers to get a Universal Binary version of their software out in time for Snow Leopard in September?
Prem Kumar: sure , I will forward this Great feed back to the development team so that they can work on it .
Mark Hollis: Thanks, Prem. Intuit’s website suggests they won’t have an upgrade for another year.
Prem Kumar: Yes, Quicken 2009 for the Mac would release in Feb
Mark Hollis: OK, now if you charge $200 hourly for editing and you need to keep up with your competitors, can you wait from September to February for this upgrade? (Rhetorical question here).
Prem Kumar: I do understand your concern, however it has been decided by the marketing team.
Mark Hollis: I understand.
Mark Hollis: Please ask the people “lighting fires” to light one under the Marketing Team, too. There has been no update of Intuit’s software for the Mac since ‘07. One might suggest that two years is a long time in computer software.
Mark Hollis: Thanks for your time, Prem. I’m not sure what I can do to keep my books up to date.
Prem Kumar: You are welcome ! I apologize for the inconvenience you are facing because of this issue

What will be the system requirements for QFM 2010? I am running 10.4.11…

Will I be able to buy it (in Canada) from Intuit online?

Alex:

Thanks for your note and I appreciate the comments.

The team is hard at work building the product. We will be communicating overall with beta testers and with all interested Mac customers over time. Because you signed up for our email list on the new Quicken for Mac 2010, and haven’t received anything yet, doesn’t mean we’re not going to be sending you information. We appreciate your patience and look forward to hearing more back from all of you as we move forward.

As far as individual’s questions on what the product will do in the way of investments, we’ll have some answers for you soon. We’ll be posting videos and demos of the new product over the next several weeks.

We are here communicating every day…and will continue to do so. There will be lots of great information forthcoming before the release of the product.

Thanks,
Scott

FYI: I (like millions before me) had been using Quicken for PCs. With a few annoying glitches, the program satisfied my needs. We moved to Macs because I had been a die-hard Apple lover in theh 80s and was forced to move to PCs because of software issues, much like this issue. Given the takeoff of Mac usage, we finally “broke-down” and I finally got to come back to Apple. Of course, none of my quicken data transfered properly to iBank and iBank doesn’t support CSV downloads from my brokerages. iBank looked GREAT but in practice failed my needs. Of course there was little positive comment about Quicken 2007 for Mac, so I am waiting and hoping that Quicken Financial Life has the ability to do what Quicken for PCs AT THE VERY LEAST. Can you comment on this?

I just read that

“Quicken for Mac will be officially sold and supported in the U.S. only – however, some Canadian financial institutions will continue to be supported.”

Why the limitation on where it is sold? Does this mean that I won’t be able to purchase it in Canada? If I can’t get a Canada-specific version, at least let me buy the (hopefully improved) US version! Why should Canadians be left out in the …um…. cold?

It really doesn’t inspire confidence when we’re directed twice to Quicken Live Community and there isn’t even a section there for Quicken for Mac other than “2007 and earlier”.

I think we all just need to accept that there will be no better Mac solution from Intuit than running QFW using Parallels. QFM was already behind the Windows version in features in 1998 and it has lagged further and further. Rewriting “from the ground up” means starting from even further behind and there won’t be a comparable feature set to QFW for the forseeable future.

Hi Alex,

Yes, I’m aware that we’ve moved from Quicken Community toward Live Community. Our other offerings (TurboTax, etc.) have found this to be really helpful for customers. It is different from Live Community. Check out Live Community if you’d like: https://qlc.intuit.com/.

Have a great one.

Chelsea, Quicken

Hi Alex,

Our comments are now in reverse order – running newest to oldest. Thanks again for that suggestion. It should make it easier to follow now.

Also, if you’re looking for more of a Q&A format (which I think you indicate in your last comment), check out Quicken Live Community.

- Chelsea, Quicken

Chelsea, PLEASE. I previously suggested that the blog entries be in inverse chronological order to make it easier to follow trains of thought – and you agreed! The blogs are now so unwieldy that there is more confusion in the answers than solutions. The best solution, obviously would be to return to the community forum format with CATEGORIZED areas of Q&A, but for some reason Heathrow abandoned that concept. We need to be able to communicate better, and we beta testers need to be separated from the naysayers so that our input will be considered.

From Wired.com: “In June [2009], nine out of 10 dollars spent on computers costing $1,000 and up went to Apple in the U.S. market, according to research company NPD Group. That spells out to 91 percent of the “premium” price segment gobbled up by Macs — up from 88 percent in May. Granted, Windows PC systems still own 90 percent of the U.S. PC market share. Still, this is a victory for Apple, a company whose focus is on quality products with premium price tags.”

Is it not likely that the people who buy premium computers will be more interested in a product like Quicken than the students etc. who buy bottom-of-the-line laptops? If Intuit doesn’t deliver the goods with Quicken Mac 2010 (and follow with a Home & Business version, more features, etc.), I think it’s really missing an opportunity.

Two tangential issues if I may-
1. Quicken 2007s last update was 8 December 2006. Since that time you have published no fixes/updates. Either you have concluded Quicken 2007 is perfect as it is (which almost no one believes) or you have otherwise abandoned the product. With that level of support, it should be no surprise the Mac community is jaded.
2. Has Intuit plans on ever offering its other products, such as Quicken Medical Expense Manager, to the Mac community? Or, are we again, just not worth your effort?

1. I want to get my computer averse wife started in ‘Computer Bookkeeping’ (not online banking for now). Will Intuit come out with a ‘Beginner’ version for OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard)? Also Feb 2010?-
BTW- I presume we’re waiting for a Snow Leopard version since I understand Rosetta isn’t in OS 10.6
2. I’d like to see a list of just what characteristics the ‘inner circle’ thinks might be different between Mac and Windows users. What functions/features do ‘they’ think might be used more (or less) by ‘M’s’ vs ‘W’s’

I’m a brand new Mac convert after decades of windows use. I’ve jumped bandwagons many times in the past between quicken and ms money as feature sets changed. I actually have the last two versions of each app, but only hopped onto MS Money until the Quicken 2009 release was fixed of the bug it had when downloading data and matching transactions.

I’ve got no bone to grind with previous Mac history as I’ve only had my powerbook for 3 weeks now. I’m also a “pretty normal” home user. I know the features I need, and hopefully they will be in the new version.

I just wanted to say thank you to the Intuit folks for coming in here and keeping things professional despite the targets painted on your chests. I’m looking forward to seeing what you’re doing with the product since, like many others in here, the only reason I have parallels installed on my Mac is to run Quicken on my windows install. I would like to break away from that and have everything native. I’ve been running Ibank and while it’s fine to try, it’s not what I’m used to, and hopefully Quicken for the Mac will deliver that.

If you need any more beta testers who have a long history with Quicken but don’t have the axe to grind since they haven’t been on a Mac long enough and can give valid data to you based on what is, not what was, please contact me. Been doing betas with Microsoft since the days of Windows 95 and won a few MVP awards as well. I’d love the chance to be part of the beta if you need any more.

Thanks for the info and keep feeding us as Feb 2010 gets closer.

John

Like others, I’m tired of waiting around for Intuit to deliver on its promises. Quicken for Mac 2007 is a terrible product – I can’t sort transactions by amount; I can’t highlight and process the same change on a number of transactions – changing a date for example; I can’t enter more than a handful of characters in the NOTES field, there are only two fields I can customize and I can’t sort by those, etc.

I seriously can’t believe there’s a publicly traded company that’s been able to repeatedly promise product updates and then outright renege, without facing some kind of stockholder outrage. There are 10 million Mac users in this country – more every day – and all it’s going to take is some ambitious competitor to change this picture completely.

Here’s my solution, as of last week….Since PC makers are now charging in the order of $200 for 1.6 gHz laptops capable of running Windows XP, I’m buying a PC simply for financial transactions – and to punish Intuit, I’m going to look into whatever competitive products I can find and take my business elsewhere.

Having spent – and wasted – hours upon hours trying to perform simple functions using Quicken for Mac, and to reconstruct data mangled by lack of customized options for transactions, I’m really outraged at how poorly Mac users have been treated. I realize no company is obligated to develop and release products, but I’m sure Intuit has used considerable muscle to elbow competitors out of the way, thus maintaining its market superiority – and ensuring we Mac users are relegated to third-tier status. I’d say “thanks for nothing,” but I’m actually convinced Intuit’s efforts are a net negative at this point.

Stephen,

Thanks. Agree with everything you said. Waiting to see what Intuit delivers. What everyone wants is pretty darn clear.As you say, the proof will be in the pudding….

Anyone who has ever had any doubts about your dedication to produce a worthy QMac product needs only to look at your recent decision to change the ridiculous name “Quicken Financial Life for Mac” to “Quicken for Mac”. You’re on the right track – full steam ahead, and (as a long time QFLM beta tester) I anxiously await the next beta iteration.

I am using Q for mac 2007 after switching from the PC 2008. It is working OK but one feature that I would like to see in the new mac version is the PC version of “FIND”, particularly in the check register. In the PC it is quicker and all in one place, not scattered throughout the register. Also budgeting needs more flexibility regarding input of individual data. At times it seems too rigid when you may want to change a specific amount in any one month.

To clarify for myself…..unified file format would be nice [for sure]…however it is more important IMHO that banks be allowed to support a SINGLE format without additional charges that can be used on a MAC or PC for direct connect so that the same banks are offered on both platforms. Is that simple enough? Can I be anymore clearer?

But if you’re listening and “know what our missteps have been,” how come the Feb 2010 product apparently still won’t offer the one key thing that hundreds and hundreds of users have repeatedly asked for here, in the Inner Circle forums, on the Apple, Macworld and Amazon sites and elsewhere: parity with the Windows version (including investment tracking). We keep asking for this over and over and keep being told to instead stay tuned for exciting new features designed for the Mac. If everyone keeps wanting the same thing and Intuit keeps ignoring it, well, you may be listening, but clearly the view of the vast majority of users is being discarded.

After 13 days of this thread, Chelsea still writes, “We are building the product from the ground up to take advantage of the new Mac OS. We expect you’ll find that it’s easier to use…”

Intuit isn’t listening, guys. They continue with the same old tripe, no matter how many times we hit them over the head with the simple requirement that the Mac version do what the Windows version does, down to using the same file format (no more import/export stupidity). We don’t want it to “take advantage of the new Mac OS.” We don’t want it to be “easier to use.” We want identical functionality with the Windows version, and then for Intuit to move both versions forward in sync with each other.

One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. I am starting to think we are all insane to expect Intuit to listen to us and build the product we are all repeatedly asking for. It ain’t gonna happen…

To help me understand the actual differences between the Windows and Mac versions, would it be too much to ask for Quicken to add a column to the Product Comparison table of your website? I’m a longtime Quicken Windows user considering a Mac for my next laptop. I would love to see which features are part of the Windows version vs. the Mac version.

Hey Scades,

Thanks for your insights and thoughts. Glad you signed up for the email list, and glad you’ve found our blog so you can check back in with us. We’ll be posting more updates as we progress, and perhaps even some screen shots and video to keep you up to speed.

You’ve probably seen it here before, but I’ll say it again. We are building the product from the ground up to take advantage of the new Mac OS. We expect you’ll find that it’s easier to use, and will get into details when we have all of them.

Thanks again for weighing in,

Chelsea, Quicken Blog Team

I am waiting patiently for the next Mac version of Quicken so I can dump Microsoft Money 2003 which has been rock solid over the years.

Wow, what a thread. By now we’ve each had a chance or two to let Quicken know just how lousy Quicken for Mac products are in the minds of many current and potential Quicken for Mac customers.

It’s time to move on from the [apparently accurate] Quicken bashing. I’ve used both Quicken for Windows and TurboTax for so long that I can’t imagine maintaining my financial data in a Quicken-free world.

Past sins are something none of us can run away from. I’m not interested in counting coup over Intuit’s past sins, only in what they have to offer in software. What really counts now is the Feb 2010 release.

I’m going to rely and the good judgement of the folks at quicken to produce a Quicken that is both enjoyable to use and is accurate. As such I’m looking forward to finally shutting off the old P4 XP Pro machine in late Feb as only quicken is keeping it alive.

I just want what was in the Windows version of Quicken 2008 Deluxe. I haven’t used Quicken 2009 after switching to Mac a year ago last week to comment on 2009’s features.

But just like everybody else, I just want Quicken 2010 to offer at minimal, the exact same features as the Windows version (the savings and budgeting feature of 2008 Deluxe is beautiful). That and the multi-window interface of Quicken for Mac 2007 is annoying (i.e. one window for each account). I just need one window, like the Windows version, to see and manage all of my transactions

With an exponentially growing Mac market (an increase of 16% in Mac sales alone in June according to Appleinsider), if Intuit doesn’t deliver a sound personal finance software for the Mac platform soon, then other competitors will eventually replace Quicken.

Howdy … looking at buying Quicken for the first time, if I purchase it now, July of 09, what would the upgrade cost be for the 2010 version down the road?

As for me, I will be happy Re Parity, Mirror, Identical, Exact, etc., were you to emulate the approach Microsoft has taken with their Office package.

True, there are some differences in the MS and Apple Office suites, but with very few exceptions, the suite features are the same, on par, nearly identical, etc. and a document created in Word, Power Point, or Excel can be read by “essentially” every computer in the world (assuming they have the app of course) regardless of their OS or platform; and all without anyone knowing the OS & platform on which the document was first created.

In short, if Microsoft can do it, e.g., cross platform features and interoperability, why can’t you?

My comments above are meant to be constructive, so I hope you will reply.

For all those who mention that PhotoShop works the same on Win and Mac: If things haven’t changed at Adobe, the reason they have this consistency is that they have created an internal programming interface that’s a layer on top of Windows and Mac. Most of Adobe’s programmers write code to the Adobe programming interface, as opposed to writing code that directly works on Macs or Windows. This was an investment by Adobe and gives them a competitive advantage. Maybe each version of an Adobe product would have a small amount of code that is platform native, but most of it is common code.

Another strategy companies may use (including some former employers of mine) is to have a common application engine written in maybe C, C++, or Java. This compiles on many platforms. Then, in order to give a proper platform feel to each version of your application, write the user interface code natively on each platform (Mac, Win, Linux, etc.).

At one time, Microsoft tried a common code base for Word (it was Win/Mac Word 6). They weren’t as successful with this and diverged from a complete common code base. However, I believe a lot of MS Office engine code is probably C or C++ that is cross-compiled between platforms.

An Intuit headhunter called me a few years back about a job opportunity in San Diego (I’ve written more Win than Mac code in my life). It appeared that Intuit at that time was quite interested in moving to a Microsoft .Net architecture for future products (I don’t know which ones, or if this is the current direction internally). If this is Intuit’s current direction, it could be difficult to go the route of a common code base between Mac and Win products. There are some solutions to help do this, all of which may be too risky for a commercial financial product like Quicken.

It’s not reasonable that Intuit could quickly provide a 1-1 compatible version of Win/Mac Quicken. The internal leadership at Intuit would need to decide that a full cross-platform strategy is very important to the company and they’d have to re-engineer years of work. We don’t know the strategic direction of the company. While we wish they’d take this approach, it’s a huge investment.

I read a blog a few years ago by someone who used to work on the Microsoft Money product. He said that managing personal finances is one of the top reasons people buy a personal computer. However, the number of people who follow through and actually do it, is relatively small. I believe this is one reason that MS just canned Money. We’re a pretty vocal bunch wanting financial software for the Mac, but we may be a really small number of people out of the whole Mac population that want many “advanced” features.

That said, I do see others targeting the financial software market. They’re typically small companies. One that I’m considering moving to has a cross-platform approach and supports Win, Mac, and Linux. There’s another upstart that’s just targeting Mac and has been aggressively adding new features. Some online comments I’ve read suggest they’ll be pretty full-featured in another year.

Who knows, maybe Intuit’s method to get a product by Feb will be to buy one of these upstarts, rebrand it, and add some functionality. It’s a strategy that’s been used by many companies (Note: I know nothing of Intuit’s plans; I just work in software and this kind of thing happens all the time.)

Hi Quicken,

I have been using your application on my Mac for years, it is great. Because I am in London, I have to overlook the dollar symbol because Quicken does not do the £ sign; also I use a Canadian preference so that the European date order is correct.
Request; can you put in a £ sign choice in preferences? Maybe even a € sign.
Best wishes, Nick

Hey everyone…we’ve just posted an sign-up via email where you can get the most updated information on the new Quicken for Mac. If you sign-up, we’ll send you emails telling you when new information, demos and news about the new product posts.

Visit here to sign-up:

http://quicken.intuit.com/personal-finance/quicken-for-mac-signup.jsp

Thanks,
Scott

Pete:

Thanks for the kind personal note. I appreciate that.

At the end of the day, we have to put rubber to road. No excuses, no delays. Just deliver.

Our business is about satisfying customers. We haven’t done that yet with Mac.

I know we’ll never please everyone, but I do hope the release will deliver for the majority of Mac customers who want a robust product that delivers the experience they expect.

Best,
Scott

I teach Quicken for Windows and work with individuals helping them set up. I’ve also worked with clients who use the Mac version. Although it does not have all the features of Q/Win, it at least is based on the same basic functions and has registers, etc.

The greatest problem I’ve encountered is for people who decided to switch from Windows to the Mac version for various reason. They were disappointed by not having all the features they had before and that they lost some of the data that Windows stores but the Mac does not. Those who track their investments also had problems.

I don’t think having totally different interfaces and “looks” between the two versions is really productive. No matter how hard you try to make transfer of data from one version to the other possible, the more difference, the more chances you have of data scramble.

Unless, of course, you’re also changing the interface of the Windows version to coincide with the Mac version, I think you’re going to have problems.

I have been using Quicken for Mac since I got a copy with a Performa 475 (1994, I think). While I was not that pleased with the first version of Quicken I used, it has improved over the years to something that I find meets my current needs. I am presently using Quicken 2005.

While I was disappointed to hear that the next new version of Quicken for the Mac would not be available until Feb 2010, I can wait — especially if the delay is to make a better product. I am hoping that the new version (is there a name yet?) will support the features of Quicken 2005 that I currently use (not really that large a set of the available features), and that Quicken 2005 will continue to suffice until the next year. If I will need to change to Quicken 2007 prior to the new version (e.g., to transfer my current data), then please let me know now.

It is somewhat disconcerting to hear that “The Mac product will not have full fledged registers as you know them today” since I am very comfortable using the registers in Quicken 2005. However, I am open to new things (if they are not too difficult to adjust to) and I don’t really care that much about the structure of the “registers” as long as I can do the same things I use registers for today.

Some things that I would consider a “must have”
- ability to download transactions from the financial institutions that I can currently download from now
- ability to transfer transactions from my “current” version of Quicken (in my case preferably 2005) from all of my old accounts (including the hidden accounts I am no longer using)
- a look at the upcoming bills and transactions
- ability to import my QuickFill transactions

Some “nice to haves”
- common data files between Windows and Mac (but usable translators would be acceptable) in case I ever have to transition (the thought does make me queasy)
- ability to manually associate a downloaded transaction with one in a register (or whatever they become) and override the automatic association

I appreciate that the Quicken for Mac team members have taken the time to post updates (and I thank them for doing so) and I look forward to hearing more. Is there (will there be) a mailing list for further updates, or should I come back to this blog?

You know what I like about Photoshop for Mac? It basically the same as Photoshop for Windows. This is SUCH a better idea than pouring in crazy resources to make a program that has a completely differently look and feel as well as cool/different/new features. Do what you do best! Windows quicken is great. Why reinvent the wheel? I hate using virtual machines just to run MS. Office and Quicken, but I am left with little alternative.

Macs reign supreme in the “media world” but bomb in the “business world” because the “media world” software makers know how to provide consistency. The “business world” software developers think that you have to make it special and different.

People will never be able to use Macs for business if we can’t have identical feature sets. Think of how popular the flowery Office 2008 for Mac is. You can’t even do VBA which makes it unusable for any spreadsheet with a couple of macros.

Think this through and help users have a seamless experience.

Mac users didn’t buy their Macs for the advantage they would have in the business world. Don’t be mistaken to think that a flowery Quicken will give users an advantage over those without it. Rather we are hoping that the Mac will be able to keep up with PC in this arena.

Microsoft has a great reason not to provide a parity on the Mac; if they do, people will have less of a reason to use windows. But intuit doesn’t have to make a crappy product. I believe in you guys! You can do it!

As a long time Quicken user on the PC and Mac side, I find this blog helpful in planning what my next steps should be. Here are my conclusions:

1) Don’t wait for Quicken for Mac. It is going to disappoint (again). File compatibility with Windows and transparency to the financial institutions are essential to product usefulness. For whatever reason, this does not appear to be a design goal for the Mac version.

2) Continue with Fusion/XP on the Mac running any version of Quicken that works for you. Financial institution support will favor Windows for obvious market share reasons and as everyone notes, the base product is reliable and sound.

So, my path forward is clear, and I thank you for the information.

I too am disappointed that the new release will be delayed and we have to suffer with the current version.

As a very long time user of Microsoft Money, I was forced to switch to Quicken after my transition to Mac.

While this version is adequate, there are many little quirks.

PLEASE in the new version fix the Forecast graph! It is so inaccurate predicting cash flow that I overdrafted checking early on. As someone who analyzes data for a living I can’t trust that it picks only certain days of the month to plot. Adding all of the data points will fix this and keep me from having to run a spreadsheet in parallel to check what Quicken thinks.

Thanks-
Jake

Scott,

“The Mac product will not have full fledged registers as you know them today.”

“Don’t have an answer for you on bill pay but I’ll found out.”

“On the banks: everyone assumes it’s an issue on our end. Many times, financial institutions choose to enable or disable file availability. I’ll find out from our team what we can do to perhaps mitigate that.”

These statements hardly engender confidence, I’m afraid. What might a financial management program that doesn’t have full fledged registers lack, I wonder? Seems to me that an account register that presents a detailed list of transactions is a fairly basic concept. And while bill paying through Quicken isn’t something that everyone uses, many of us consider it a core feature. This begs the question whether Quicken users would embrace a new version that isn’t even as feature-rich as the current versions.

As for some banks choosing not to offer Mac connectivity, this wouldn’t be a problem if Quicken’s exchange of data with financial institutions were platform-agnostic. Any bank that supported Quicken for Windows would automatically support Quicken for Mac.

As I said earlier in the thread, I appreciate your being here, and I realize that you’re trying to do your best in a situation where everything you post is surely scrutinized by your manager(s). But it’s going to take a lot more than that to establish credibility. Nevertheless, I’m willing to give you (and Intuit) the benefit of the doubt and wait for some concrete examples of what’s planned for the next version.

James:

I think you should wait and see the functionality in action (we’ll show it here before it’s on sale) before deciding.

Perhaps it won’t work for you but perhaps it will. It’s a very different product than QFLM…

Thanks,
Scott

Joe:

As I have said here several times, we will be sharing with you specifics on the product and what it will do and what it won’t do.

There will not be 100% parity between Mac and Windows. I said that several posts ago.

As for the rest, we’ll share it with you when we’re ready. Because we don’t answer today doesn’t mean we’re not going to answer the question at all.

Good luck to you and thanks for stopping by.

Scott

Hi Michael:

Don’t have an answer for you on bill pay but I’ll found out.

On the banks: everyone assumes it’s an issue on our end. Many times, financial institutions choose to enable or disable file availability. I’ll find out from our team what we can do to perhaps mitigate that.

Thanks,
Scott

I’m tired of waiting. I’m going with another product.

Joe:

It’s a corporate blog and we reserve the right to not post comments if they include objectionable language, or other material.

We’re being transparent here and allowing customers to talk about their frustration and even criticize our actions of the past. Most companies don’t even do that.

The fact that you continue to send multiple posts every day, which are approved, shows that to be so.

There is no conspiracy or effort to squelch open dialogue Joe. Perhaps some additional constructive feedback would help us get better.

All customers have to do us look up at these comments to see how well Joe is represented and how many times he’s posted critical matter that was published.

Again, we’d love to hear your thoughts on how to make the product better. There is a respectful and constructive way to do it.

Thanks,
Scott

Scott, Thanks for the response but I never asked whether the Mac product would be an “exact replication” of the Windows product, just whether it would have the same basic capabilities. Can you at least give a Yes or No to investment registers and tracking? And can you say whether the line about an “anticipated” February date on your marketing site means the release date is still very tentative?

Jeff:

Thanks for you comments.

I can end any speculation by saying the new Quicken for Mac released in February will not be an exact replication of the Windows product. That’s just not going to happen.

Now, before everyone gets upset…that doesn’t mean it won’t have more features you associate with the Windows product. It’s not going to be the same product – plain and simple.

Also, over the next several weeks we’re going to start showing you what the product will be. We’ll be posting videos with our development and product management team showing you what we’re working on. It’s going to be a very open dialogue and you won’t have surprises when the product is released.

Thanks,
Scott

I’ve gone from disappointed to hear that the new version of Quicken for Mac has been delayed so long. Now, that I’m getting an error message 9 out of 10 times I try to connect to my bank via Quicken 2007 because the program has basically been discontinued support-wise, I’m downright pissed off. Think I’ll start looking for an alternative to Quicken. Nice job Intuit. Just lost a customer of 8 years.

Scott,

I think Intuit has three markets that need to be served by the next release of Quicken for Mac: 1. new customers, 2. current QFM users and 3. switching Windows users. From what I saw of the betas, Quicken Financial Life would have pleased some of group 1 and none of groups 2 and 3 because of the very limited feature set.

It feels like the QFM product is a very old codebase that got a few features added in the early part of this decade and then got “Carbonized” so it would run under OS X but has had no major work done on it for the best part of a decade. I also suspect that there’s no one left at Intuit who is familiar with it. The fact that some substantial bugs have been carried over since at least QFM 2002 suggests this, as does the non-standard code for text input, mouse input and text display in the “current” QFM 2007 which makes it look so old.

The Windows product feels like it has been in continuous maintenance and development over that time.

It must have been very appealing to “start over” with “clean” code in making a Mac product. That is so often a mistake as it underestimates the work that was involved in getting the old version to where it was. I think you have realized that now that the project has gone so long and achieved only the approximate feature set of Quicken 3 for Mac circa 1994 (bank account and credit card tracking but no specialized investment tracking). It’s almost always the case that fixing up or patching your old code is more efficient than starting from scratch.

So I think your best move from this point to make a saleable product and actually please some users would be to do a Mac port of QFW using the Crossover libraries, much as games have been ported using Cider. It could look exactly like a Windows app as long as it worked. This would satisfy switching Windows users, and I suspect QFM users would be satisfied or even pleased (as functionality trumps a lickable UI in a personal finance program). New customers wouldn’t know any better. It would be butt ugly on a Mac but I would buy it and so would every Mac user who is currently running QFW using Parallels and a WinXP installation and every customer who is limping along in QFM and hoping that Rosetta is still supported in Snow Leopard.

Forget the Coverflow and CoreAnimation and whatever. Get an ugly working port of QFW out the door and next year sell me an upgrade with a decent UI.

I’m so disappointed to see this. As a recent Mac convert and LOVING my new macbook pro, the only thing that binds me to my old PC life is that I have NO personal financial software program from Intuit!! And I’ve waited patiently for the mid-summer release – getting more and more worried as NOTHING seemed to be forthcoming. Now I have to continue to struggle through til Feb. 2010?? BUM – MER >(

I, too agree with Mike and others. As a loyal user of many years of Quicken, I too want to see parity with the new Mac program. Additionally, I like the idea of pocket Quicken where I can synchronize my desktop data with my mobile devises such a palm and iPod touch. Not everyone needs to be connected and instantly updated. Downloading from the banks are the problems. It is the customizing that we users do with the program. The reason the Quicken on-line receive so much resistance from people like me is because it is intended to simplify a tool to a point that it no linger fits the need of most Quicken users.

I’m glad that Intuit is taking the time to talk, answer questions, and even admit some past mistakes. Thanks for that. It’s been a long time, but I can wait until February, 2010 to see what comes of all this.

The most important feature to me is the ability to move many years worth of data from the PC realm to the Mac world. I’d much prefer file-compatibility, but even a WORKING translation would be OK.

The one thing that gets me is that there’s still the whole MAC vs. PC thing going on out there. Few people I know are strictly in one camp or the other. Most have some exposure to both, often on a daily basis.

My home is like that. I have and use both PCs and Macs (and the occasional Linux machine too). There’s things I like about both, but now I’m using a Mac for my main desktop machine. I use Quicken 2008 in a Parallels desktop. It’s the ONLY reason I need Parallels. The lack of a good Quicken product for Macs has been a glaring hole in Intuit’s product offerings, and it’s the only such hole I’ve found in all my software purchases.

So thank you again for finally turning a serious eye towards this, and for also opening up this blog and discussion. I appreciate the candor, and am hopeful to see what you come up with.

Evening all!

There are many UK guys/girls looking for a decent personal finance program of the calibre of the Quicken pc versions (I used 2000 until quite recently on an old laptop) , so do please consider a market here that was very disappointed when you left. I do hope the new Mac version in February can swiftly work for us over this side of the pond

regards

Philip Sewell

Will the “new” Quicken for Mac” be able to import Quicken Mac 2007 transactions older than 1/1/1970? Our business files date to 1962 as transactions prior to 1988 were added to Quicken Mac. All of our data is important because of the nature of our business.

We briefly looked at the QFL beta earlier this year out of concern that Quicken Mac 2007 support will eventually be discontinued in future OS updates. We were immensely disappointed. The application resembled a combination of iTunes, iPhoto and a computer game rather than a serious business application. We were able to successfully transition to Microsoft Money using VirtualBox and Windows XP Professional. We were surprised that all of our investment and banking accounts containing thousands of transactions were successfully and accurately imported within less than an hour with only one double entry mistake. Quicken Windows 2009 was also reviewed but could not import the same data without mistakes that would have required weeks to correct. We also could not believe how many features in Money & Quicken Windows have been left out of Quicken Mac over the years. Seems we were overcharged over the years for updates to Quicken Mac that contained fewer features compared to Quicken Windows. Shame on Intuit. And you expect respect from the Mac community?

Fortunately, we have a direct setup with our local banks not requiring Money and should be able to use Money until a Mac financial management programs with parity of function are eventually available from some company.

Good luck with your new Quicken Mac development endeavor. We hope it is finally a sincere effort to meet the needs of the Mac community. Personally, we would fire the whole development team and hire new competent people with skills to complete the job. Nearly three years and counting must be quite expensive for the company.

Can we buy PC quicken (to use in Parallels) now with a coupon for QfM when it comes out?

I have been a beta tester for QFLM (hoping for a name change) for some time, and, like others, I was dismayed to learn of the “pushed-out” release date of 2/10. This having been said, my experience as a beta tester has left me with the feeling that, despite the abounding gadfly comments, your team is genuinely concerned about delivering a fault-free and robust product.
Further, whereas I am disappointed for the wait, your team should be applauded for taking the high road – admitting your shortcomings and explaining the delay. Had this been a Microsoft product, there would have been no explanation, and the 2/10 product would be a dismal failure.
Don’t let us down and continue to keep us beta testers in the loop!

To Scott & The Quicken for Mac Development Team:

I use Quicken for Mac 2007. I understand everyone’s frustration.

Because it seems like you’re getting nothing but a petulant tone here, I just want to say thank you for working on this and trying to get it right.

I know enough about a team process within a large organization to know that there must be inner workings which are making this harder than it seems to we, the end user. I do want you all to get this out and I am impatient with the lack of Windows parity. But, again, I want to thank you guys for the work you are doing.

Keep up the good work and know that some of us are rooting for you!

I guess the rule of thumb for Intuit developers is this: How would Steve Jobs and Apple approach this project? That’s all you really need to ask.

I hope Quicken for Mac will have a canadian version, Intuit is a canadian outfit based in Alberta.

Ryan:

Thanks for your comments .

Our beta testers come from our Mac customer base. It’s not a group of people who don’t use Mac. All software developers use beta testers to test products – including Apple.

Furthermore, we’re here to talk and engage with Mac customers. We don’t develop products based on blog comments. But they are indicitive of what our customers want.

Thanks,
Scott

Thanks, Intuit, for the feedback on everyone’s questions. I have high hopes the Feb 2010 release will be a great one. I just have two questions:

1- Will Quicken Windows 2007 transfer to the new Mac Quicken 2010 release?

2- Will I be able to download all of my financial data (401k, investments, etc) onto Quicken for Mac 2010 with the new release?

If you could answer these questions, especially #1, I would really appreciate it. Thanks! I am a new Mac user and have been pulling out my old PC laptop to run Quicken, which is getting very annoying. I just hope I can hold out until February!

Will i be able to transfer all my data from the 2007 mac version to the new one? I just got a Imac and dont want to wait to Feb to get started…

I have used Quicken dating back to the Apple II. Quicken on the Mac for the last several versions has had little advancement. The UI and icons were redone; however, there has been little change since Quicken 2004 ish.

So, at this point, I think you should just get something shipped so that people can see that you are actually doing something. Over a series of updates, you can add in more features.

And when someone calls tech support, they should as what version of Quicken you running and hear Quicken for Mac and then state that “We don’t support the mac” and hang up the phone.

Just get something out the door and stop treating MAc users like an unwanted step child which would be a big step up for your company.

“I guess I’m forced to imagine that, after so many years of Windows-oriented development, the Quicken-for-Windows code base is too much of a mess to be able to split the core from the UI (at least, not in a single year when people are expecting Quicken 200n+1).”

Actually, I specifically allowed for that in stating that I’d be content (not happy, but content) with a public statement that they will have the entire mess cleaned up and a truly cross-platform app by Quicken 2011 or 2012.

This is one of those things where they’re going to need to bite the bullet some day (or drop the Mac version entirely). In that case, the sooner you get started, the better off you are.

Oh, Intuit.

Some things never change.

2002 Deluxe for PC user, basic functions, choose not to use any online functions, etc… Have chosen to move to MAC. What conversion steps do I need to do to maintain the basic “checkbook” functions I currently use?

I hope that it will have a companion iphone app at the time of the release in Feburary.

“Those that are calling for (and I paraphrase here) a mac-native port of the windows version baffle me. “native” and “port” are terms that aren’t really compatible, at least when it comes to software development.”

There’s no inconsistency in what most Mac users appear to want – it’s a matter of how you describe it.

Proper software development would separate the core software from the UI and would use only cross-platform technologies – staying away from technologies that only work in one platform on the core side (the UI side, of course, uses proprietary technologies). If they did that, the two (or even more!) platforms would automatically have feature parity as well as a common file format.

I don’t care if you call that a port or green eggs and ham. It’s the proper way to do software development and if Intuit were serious about the Mac market, they’d commit to it.

February 2010?

Please don’t rush it out with any bugs or anything. That’s a pathetic date.

More vaporware.

>We all know there is no competitive product that you would switch to (and the Quicken folks know that as well). For one, there is no easy way to export your data.

Don’t know about that B. I had absolutely no problem getting all my data converted from Quicken 2007 into the demo of iBank. There were some interesting iBank features too but not enough to warrant a switch for me. I’m still sticking with Q2007. Now maybe, between now and Feb 2010, iBank will come out with a major version that I’d switch to, but I kind of doubt it. Quicken is a love/hate relationship but the ratio is about 80/20. Unless something seriously breaks on me, or someone else really builds a much better mousetrap than Q2007, I would prefer to hold out hope for the Q2010 version. And Intiuit, I’d be happy again to beta test (the last version I was asked to work on was way back in the OS9 days).

>For me, it wasn’t features alone that had me switch from the Mac version but the fact that the banks I use do not support the direct method of downloading financial data for the Mac.

Is it the banks or Quicken? Its just data right?

I think we should consider cutting Intuit a bit of slack based on recent changes in their behavior in the Mac market. A public beta? When did we ever see that? This blog with replies from the team? That’s very encouraging. Being too negative (and personal) isn’t useful. I am hopefully optimistic the wait for 2010 will pay off. I really do want to love Quicken again.

One month ago I finally did it – bought a cheap PC box at a discount store and loaded one program: Quicken for Windows. For me, it wasn’t features alone that had me switch from the Mac version but the fact that the banks I use do not support the direct method of downloading financial data for the Mac.

One feature for me ever going back to the Mac Quicken is for Intuit to figure out a licensing / data solution for banks so that the same data streams they use for PC’s can be used on Mac’s.

Who are these Mac users that Intuit claims they are listening to that want a hamstrung financial program that is no better than may resources now available online (mint.com anyone)?

I don’t need a “just graduated from college and need to learn how to budget” program. I need software that will let me manage my investments, track my accounts in foreign currencies, keep track of my loans, and get very granular with reporting how I use my money and where it went so come tax time I know what conversations to have with my accountant. Feature parity with the Windows version would be a great place to start.

If Intuit doesn’t realize that Mac users want a full featured, slick, user friendly program they will find that the new Mac version will sell as well as the Palm Folio… wait… someone realized before foisting THAT on the public that it was a horrible idea.

I’d say I agree with others who are tired of promises of parity of features between the Mac and Windows versions. Mac users of Quicken have been the ‘poor stepchildren’ of Intuit for way too long, and I have repaid them by NOT upgrading every time Intuit claims it has a ‘newer, better’ version of Quicken. I am glad to see some of the comments, as I was debating which OTHER financial program to go with on my (non-Intel) Mac. By the time Intuit gets around to realizing what Mac users *really* want in features, they may be out of the running on Mac financial software completely, because everyone else will have already figured it out and taken away their share of the market.

I don’t mean this to be against you, Scott – but the company shows a low motivation toward the Mac version of Quicken, compared to the effort they will put into the Windows versions (and that’s not counting the ‘charging banks twice to offer downloadable formats for Mac and Windows users of Quicken).

I am abandoning Intuit products, since they abandoned me and other Mac users of Quicken a long time ago…

Thanks for the update on QfM. Like many here, I have been frustrated over the years with the product. I have typically bought an upgrade every other year to keep current. Still, the features I use today are still the features I’ve been using going back 5-7 years.

What I would like to see:

1) Common online banking format with Windows. There are several financial institutions that only work with the Windows product. That should change. For example, my company’s 401(k) provider is a Windows-only provider. That should be first and foremost on the list, so Mac users don’t have to be more selective about banks, and Intuit can have a common development process. It was bad they were ever separated.

2) File export capability. As much as you might hate to admit it, there are other applications that analyze data quicker and easier. While 90% of what I want to do is in Quicken, there are times when I want to dump a register to an Excel PivotTable to look at it the way I want. QIF export is not a good option for that.

3) Budgeting. The Budget Tool has never been friendly. There’s too much pre-populated, and I can’t change the order around to my needs. It’s the way Intuit wants it, or nothing. Also have an option on the budget to preview the month the way the Forecast does for actual pre-planned transactions. Making the Bills section, the Budget section and the Forecast more seamless. Lastly on this topic, give me more granular control over the forecast months/weeks.

Oh boy….

Thanks for your reply Adriel. I don’t like your response, but thanks just the same.

Scott says the product team can provide answers, then you provide non-answers…you two make a great team. I’m getting a headache.

The Quicken for Mac product team reminds me of this bull terrier puppy that is chasing his tail – http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1133265/staffordshire_bull_terrier_pup_blob_chases_tail/ but is not as cute or entertaining to watch.

All joking aside, I’m never going back to Windows, and I’m never going to use your web based version of Quicken. Quite frankly, I don’t trust Intuit to deliver the goods. It’s both interesting and pathetic that Intuit announced the forthcoming Quicken for Mac 2010 pre-order, but can’t announce if Quicken for Mac 2010 will work with the same Financial Institutions as the Windows version. Any goodwill for Intuit is long GONE by now, so it’s now time to be straight with us.

Do you seriously think I will pre-order anything from Intuit? I’d rather send every last cent of my hard earned money to a Nigerian scammer.

I’m done with Intuit and Quicken products. Quit wasting our valuable time. Seriously.

M.

Scott,

I really hope the new Quicken for Mac will have the same loan functionality as the Windows 2007 version. That is the only thing that has kept me from bailing, as I track two loans I own and really need that functionality.

Barry

Okay. I’m a Windows for Quicken user (since 1994) who switched to a Mac in ‘03 but still shovels coin down Microsoft way for a Windows license just to run Quicken in virtualization. Where do I sign up to be a beta tester for the new Quicken for Mac?

I haven’t seen anyone answer whether Q2007 will work under Snow Leopard until Q2010 is ready? As another Quicken user since 1989 ish I would hate to have to wait on Snow just so that Quicken can be used.

Thanks

Adriel,
If you’d like a long time Mac user that is currently using Quicken for Windows to participate in the beta test of your new Mac product I would be happy to help out. It would give you a chance to test out the conversion of a Windows file to a Mac file. Get you prepared for all the Windows to Mac switchers.

Quicken for Mac 2007 will run on Snow Leopard.

Thanks,
Scott

Adriel,

I graciously accept your offer to be a part of the Beta.

Thank you for considering me.

Mark,

If you are currently a Quicken Windows user who has switched to the Mac and would like to join our Beta, I will contact you for more information. I think you will be a valuable tester for us to work with.

Regarding any other requests for detailed features, we will not be posting that information in this forum. We have already stated what you’ll be able to do in Quicken Mac and will leave that as it stands.

While it may be frustrating at times to hear this, it is a perfectly reasonable request for us to hold that information until we’re ready to release it. You can assume what you may from that – we’re here to answer the questions we can, not speculate.

For more detailed information, look for future blog posts.
-Quicken Adriel

You people badgering Scott and the other Intuit employees need a time-out.

Do you honestly think that comments like “And I knew you wouldn’t answer my questions” is going to get you anything more than a chuckle?

You are not entitled to answers, so stop acting like it. Scott and the others are participating in this forum as a courtesy.

Take a deep breath and show some civility and respect.

Scott, I look forward to hearing more about the upcoming Quicken for Mac application. Thank you for your patience and professionalism, and thank you for providing this opportunity to have a dialogue with Intuit.

Because I don’t have an answer to your question doesn’t mean I am being “political”.

Our product team is here answering the questions they are able to.

Thanks,
Scott

I’m not attacking you personally, Scott. I’m merely pointing out that your answers are political, not accurate. You’re dodging questions and making ridiculous statements about how “parity” means different things to different people. You set yourself up. I – and others – are merely calling you out.

And I knew you wouldn’t answer my questions.

Hey Rob…if attacking me personally makes you feel better, feel free. Again, I am here to answer what I can about the delay and the new product. Both Adriel and Jim from the product team are on here as well answering questions. We’re being open and honest answering questions that we can. If the answers aren’t meeting your expectation, I apologize. We’re doing our best.

It’s not about being political or not giving answers that we can give today. I appreciate your comments.

Scott

Scott should be in politics. Every answer is an obfuscation. Scott, how about you answer these four questions:

1. Will the new Quicken for Mac share the same file format as the Windows version so that no conversion is required?

2. Will every feature and function of the Windows version be available in the new Mac version, regardless of how it is implemented?

3a. Will banks that support Quicken for Windows all support the new Quicken for Mac on the day of release…

3b. …or will Mac users continue to be marginalized when it comes to online banking?

And here’s the rub. You may select one – and only one – of the two following words to answer each question:

Yes
No

Can you do it, Scott?

Like so many others, I’m fed up with Quicken but use it because, sadly, nothing better exists. I keep hoping for a legitimate competitor to emerge but it hasn’t happened yet, although some are arguably getting closer (iBank).

The wait is appalling, especially for a company as large and powerful as Intuit. Hire some decent programmers and get on with it already! As much as I both dislike and distrust Intuit as a company – and I doubt my opinion will ever change – if the new Quicken for Mac is good, I’ll gladly buy and use it, but there’s absolutely no chance I’m going to be foolish enough to pre-order it, What a joke.

An unrestricted 30 day trial better be available because there’s no way I’m buying the software without evaluating it first, especially given Intuit’s long and embarrassing history of buggy Mac software and no fixes.

Intuit, this is the *last* chance I imagine you’ll get from most Mac users. If you can’t do it right, don’t even bother. And if you’re serious about the Mac market, show us by delivering a quality product that just works. You haven’t been able – or willing – to do that on the Mac platform for quite some time. I hope things have changed.

Someone from Intuit, please acknowledge that many here are requesting Direct Connectivity agnostic behavior so that mac users can connect with the same number of banks that are offered Direct Connect to Windows.

Adriel,
I have been a Mac user since the beginning of the Mac. I purchased a Windows computer many years ago simply to be able to run Quicken for Windows. The financial institutions I use did not support downloading transactions into Quicken. So I was forced to use Windows. When Apple switched to using Intel, I was then able to use virtualization software to be able to run Quicken for Windows on one computer. So I was able to get rid of my old Windows computer. So that is my history with Quicken.

If you give me a baseball bat and a copy of Quicken 2010 for Mac that has feature parity with Quicken 2010 for Windows as well as file compatibility, then I will gladly hand you back the bat and $100 for the Mac software. I’ll even give you a smile while I do it. But if on the other hand, you give me a bat and Quicken 2010 for Mac that lacks the features that my Quicken 2010 Windows “friends’ have then I will have to think about using that bat.

I don’t understand why it is so hard for someone at Quicken to directly say there will be feature compatibility and file compatibility with the Mac and Windows 2010 versions. Good grief. The only reason not to say it is because there won’t be. It’s not like you really have any viable competitors that you would be tipping off.

I, like several others, do appreciate the dialogue about the product. But if you don’t truly listen to your customers and give them what they want they will take their business elsewhere. Even if it means trading a potentially better product for a slightly worse product. It starts to become the principle of the thing.

Scott and Adriel, thanks for your commentary. It’s certainly hard to be in your shoes taking lots of lots of arrows on behalf of your company. (Intuit as a company deserves most of those arrows, but you guys personally don’t…)

Adriel, I found the phrasing of your response about Mac/PC features to be interesting. You wrote:

> we’ve been very rigorous in determining which things
> are critical to get right for both Quicken Mac and PC
> users and are committed to doing this well
[SNIP]
> The complexity inherent in adding some extra
> features may mean that we don’t include them
> because it makes for a better overall product
> experience.

The way I interpret this is, your plan is to build a relatively small, core set of features, and “knock ‘em out of the park” — on both platforms. That’s not a bad approach. But… does this mean that the next version of Quicken for Windows will actually remove some of its existing obscure, complex, hard-to-use features that don’t fall into the core feature set, in order to meet this goal? In some ways that might make sense, but it’d probably antagonize some Q-Win users. Or will Q-Win deliver some features that cause a worse overall product experience but meet the needs of those niche users? And if that’s the case, why wouldn’t the same logic apply for Q-Mac? Either way, if there isn’t feature parity between the products, it seems like Intuit would be intentionally giving poor service to some subset of customers: either the Windows customers by giving them a sub-par experience, or the Mac customers by not catering to the niche requirements.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.

Scott et al. – I just want to say thank you for allowing us to speak our minds and for interacting with us and so candidly. This is the first time I have seen this from Quicken regarding the Mac community and it is refreshing. Please, PLEASE, keep up.

“My name is Adriel and I work on building the Mac product.

We hear you and the dozens of people posting on forums on our blog, Appleinsider, Macrumors, Arstechnica, Twitter, etc. I’ve personally read all the comments I can find on the sites and let me paraphrase what I’ve heard you saying.

1. We want to do what’s possible on Windows versions on the Mac
2. It sucks to have the product delayed yet again and we’re tired of waiting
3. You’re not committed to the Mac

Did I miss anything major?”

Yes: File interchangeability between Mac and Win versions – Use the same data file.

I keep coming back to read the comments here… The Intuit employees keep saying that they’re building what their users want, but if you read the posts on Appleinsider, Macrumors, Arstechnica or Twitter, 80% of them want the functionally of the Windows version. The comments above just keep sounding like Intuit does not want to provide that, regardless of the fact that this is what their target audience is actually asking for.

I don’t get why you think Mac users are any different than your Window customers. Only Window users deserve a full fledged personal account app? All Mac users just want pretty UIs and Coverflow?

In Quicken 2007, another really useful (daily) function for me is the Insights. Please keep it in the next version.

Mike:

If you’re a hardcore Quicken desktop user tracking investments, etc., Quicken Online probably won’t float your boat. It’s built for a much different customer with simple needs. It’s a free product so you can try it and see if it helps you or not.

With Quicken Online, we don’t hold any personal data. It’s a direct connect with your bank and any info on our servers is truncated and read-only. Unlike desktop, you can’t transact from Quicken Online. No full account numbers are stored…

Charles…I can’t change the past.

All I can do is be here and answer the questions that I have answers to. Adriel Frederick, who is on our Mac product team, will be here later today and answer some of these questions. I am here answering what I can and conversing with all of you to make sure your voice is heard throughout the organization.

I’ll do my best but ultimately you’ll have to decide if that’s sufficient enough for you.

Thanks again for the comments.

Scott,
You tell us to “hang with us and we’ll start showing you functionality soon” when all you have to do is say a couple very simple things. The first is that it will include all of the same features and functions as the Windows version. Lastly, it will be file compatible. Not for just the data file but with the on-line financial institution files. I am becoming increasingly concerned about whether Intuit is getting the message that it’s customers are trying to send. I’ll say it one more time, feature parity and file compatibility. And I think we have already established what those two things mean.

On a different note, is there anywhere that gives a feature comparison of the Quicken On-Line version that you say you use to the Windows version of Quicken that I am using on my desktop? I can’t seem to find much concrete information about what all is available on the on-line version. And what I am going to be giving up. I am just not sure that I would be comfortable with Intuit “protecting” all of my personal financial data. The website alludes to using SSL to encrypt the traffic between your servers and my browser but doesn’t say whether my data is encrypted on the disks at intuit and only accessible by me. That bit of information seems to be missing.

The delay hasn’t really been what I’m worried about. I assume it’ll come out when it’s ready. I’m more concerned with what I’ve read about losing portfolio management and not being able to import that over in the beta.

If you give us that, I’m in

I’m so sad that this program has taken up so much time and effort on Intuit’s side. The fact that when it’s released it’ll be taking a giant leap backwards in functionality is so disheartening.

I’ve used Quicken for years and have most of my financial life in it, but if I were move over to this “new” one I’d lose most of I what I was using it for.

But I suppose I WOULD get coverflow for financial records :-/

Can’t we have the same functionality as Windows ;(

Scores of comments later, and perhaps 10 postings by Quicken personnel, Quicken has not simply stated that it will provide the core demands of everyone posting: that Q-Mac 2010 WILL use file structure identical to the Windows version, and that it WILL read the same files that financial institutions provide for Q-Windows users. Come on, Scott–Commit to providing this interoperability, now!

Mr. Gulbransen,

I suppose you may be feeling that you have poked a hornet’s nest here. Well, that’s the Mac user community. If it’s any consolation, if you get Quicken for Mac right, our praise (and more important, positive word of mouth) will be just as vociferous as our complaints.

Cheers.

I have been a Quicken for Windows user since 1994. and I am a very happy camper with Quicken. I recently moved to the Mac and purchsed Quicken for the Mac and was appalled at the feature set available. I just reverted back to using Quicken for Windows 2009.

So I guess I do agree that they should have the same feature set. Not exactly parity. The usability should be the same as how one would use it in Windows. Mac Like UI should just remain that..anything other than Mac Like UI should follow the Windows way of moving around the rpogram.

File transfer from Windows to Mac is also a biggie. I was unpleasantly surprised that even that was not included. Othe programs like Office allows compatibility.

“Parity with windows is a bit over stated. Do Mac users really want the Quicken for Windows Address book? The Buy/Sell Preview? Tax Category Audit? There are features that < 1% of the Windows users ever touch, does it make sense to include those in a new Quicken For Mac product for the sake of parity?"

Speaking only for myself, the answer is 'yes'.

First, you don't know which features someone might use.

More importantly, it's a product development issue. If they develop the software properly (separate the UI from the core software), then feature parity becomes automatic. If they keep using separate core functionality, you'll never have completely consistent data files, financial institution support and so on.

Leaving out one function that few people use isn't a big deal. But when it leads to different data files, it is.

And that, of course, doesn't even consider that that argument is what got us where we are. Every time they add a new feature to Windows, they figure few Mac users will use it, so why bother.

That would be like saying that few Mac Word users use underlined bold italic text so they'll create a completely separate file format which is not compatible with the Windows version so that underlined bold italic text doesn't clutter up the Mac users's menu.

Will the calendar showing transactions be included in the new Mac version? This is a very helpful view of activity.

Joe

“It’s hard to state today what “parity” means. It’s a general term and if that means “can I track 401K and investments?” the answer is yes, you will be able to do investments in the new product. But I am staying away from the word parity because for different users it means different things.”

What a load of horse manure.

Parity means it does the same thing. It uses the same data file. All the functions get the same result.

Your argument that Mac users have different needs is equally bogus. How long has it been since you put stock option tracking in the Windows version – and it’s STILL not in the Mac version. Don’t tell me Mac users don’t have stock options – or that this hasn’t been requested. I requested it repeatedly back when I was a Quicken beta tester.

I would say that Quicken is the worst app I use regularly – except that your Point of Sale software is far worse. It can’t even be trusted to generate accurate results since every different ‘Sales’ report gives different results.

I’m going to give you some software development advice – and won’t even charge you.
1. Separate the UI from the core program. That way, the Windows and Mac versions have the same functionality. It also allows you to sell a version for Linux or Solaris or anything else with reduced effort.
2. Write your core code without using functions that are only available in one OS. Stay away from .net or Silverlight or any of the Windows-specific stuff you so eagerly latch onto.
3. Focus on getting existing features working properly before adding a zillion new features that no one will use.
4. Maintain file compatibility until there’s a strong reason to change.

If you do those things, you’ll have better apps for BOTH platforms. Your development costs will also drop. AND, you’ll find that you don’t have to rewrite as much code when new OS versions come out.

Why is that so difficult for you guys to get?

Someone ought to print out this discussion and mail it to the independent directors of Intuit (http://investors.intuit.com/directors.cfm) so they know how their management has epically failed and continues to dissemble, as much as they let us “vent.” Disgusting. In our family, one kid going off to college in the fall can’t wait for Feb. 2010 – he’ll be on iBank by next month. I’ve not yet decided about myself, but my “needs” are just like the others here: feature compatibility, file interchangeability, and equivalent set of supporting banks.

I too have been a very long time Quicken user (since something like the 1989). I’m using Q2007 and it works but I still have bugs from previous versions (reported) that never got fixed. But it works, I will stick with it and hope HOPE that the next version is worth the upgrade.

I agree that parity is necessary. And yes, parity means that like Adobe products (Photoshop, Acrobat, InDesign being just a few examples), there’s zero difference moving from platform to platform, data files are identical. This isn’t rocket science and I’m hard pressed to think of a successful cross platform provider that doesn’t do this correctly (yes, that’s a knock towards Intuit who clearly isn’t).

Lastly, please don’t remove the check book layout and fully support On-Line Banking and downloads. Do these few things, I’ll upgrade and continue to be a loyal customer.

Please. Tax Summary Reports. None of the competitors or online services do this. I still use Quicken Mac 2007 to prepare for end of the year taxes.

Why no UK bank support. With MS Money leaving the scene you have an open door?

Listening loud and clear Stephen. Thanks for the thoughtful comments/feedback.

Scott

Are we going to see a UK version, if not why. I used Quicken for years on Windows and have to use Fusion so as to use it now on my mac. Im trying to get on with MYOB but never as good as Quicken

First, great job engaging with your customers in the comments. This gives me hope.

I was a beta customer of Quicken Life for the Mac (or whatever you called it.)

I am glad you decided to make this step. Your previous approach was so painfully flawed, as an Quicken user since 1989–WOW–I was on my way to using Mint online. (For free.)

Now, I will see what February brings. I hope you produce a product which has no less features than today, and is vastly improved.

Respectfully, we suffered yearly “upgrades” which brought few features, new bugs, and watched as the windows version got markedly better.

Then, we got dropped altogether.

But the world has changed. Online offerings from banks and companies like Mint are real alternatives. (Oh, and free, or close to it.)

Moreover, the Mac is booming. Like Adobe, you placed the wrong bet. Adobe responded a lot faster–helped by the fact that Apple started making competitive products.

I hope you have corrected the error of your ways and will return to supporting your Mac customers. Do not ignore us again please and no more annual releases of poor and anemic upgrades.

We deserve better.

Chelsea/Scott,

Screen shots and feature updates are critical to us. So please follow through on these.

I would think that what you saw and read today got your attention. I sure hope it gets the attention of the higher ups at your company, because THOSE are the people that also must see this.

Scott,

I have been a loyal Intuit customer for over 15 years using both the Quicken and Turbotax products. Switched to the Mac in 2002 and regularly updated Quicken in hope of continued development and advancement.

The 2008 and 2009 versions of TurboTax appeared to have a common engine with the user interface custom to Windows or Mac. Shipped to the stores just as Turbotax, both the Windows and Mac version in the same box, same disc.

Do the same with Quicken! Develop the same engines so we have feature parity or better with Windows but customize for the front end for the Mac or Windows.

Eliminate Window vs Mac financial institution support. The financial institutions should just have to support Quicken. One file format, one interface. The financial institutions should provide Quicken data that can be seamlessly used regardless of platform.

Thanks for the opportunity to vent. Please continue to provide periodic updates.

Evan

Scott, thank you for your blog post today. I began using Quicken for the Mac in 2002 and it was a life changer. I have upgraded to each version that has been released since I began using it.

Frankly, I’ve been concerned about the future of Quicken on the Mac, especially after seeing the Financial Life beta.

If I may make a suggestion, keep the communication forthcoming. Give us regular updates on the progress for Mac Quicken. Show us screenshots. Allow for a public beta when the new code is ready. I believe that such efforts would go a long way in demonstrating Intuit is serious about it’s Mac version.

Greetings again from Australia.

You know, with the US version for the Mac due in 2010, our Canadian confreres missing out (at least initially: “Quicken for Mac will be officially sold and supported in the U.S. only – however, some Canadian financial institutions will continue to be supported.”) I’m not holding out any hope at all of getting a version that I can run in Australia.

If somebody from Intuit / Reckon will do the right thing by me and give me Windows code that will export my data from Quicken Personal Plus 2008 for Windows (that I’m running under CrossOver on my Mac) into QIF so that I can import my data elsewhere, that would be appreciated. QPP08 was obviously cripple-ware – fancy not being able to export financial data!! What a criminal oversight. Who the hell wants to export an address book?

Our financial year started 1st July and I’m trying the alternatives. If my request (above) isn’t answered, I’ll just draw a line in the sand at 1st July and get on with life. If I do get export assistance, I’ll happily add that data to whatever new personal finance software I select – but I’ll still have drawn that line in the sand.

Like all of the people posting here, I’ve spent good money on various versions of Quicken products, only to get no or few software patches, to be charged $5 per minute to request assistance (so why bother?) and to find that the Quicken product failed to deliver one of the most fundamental functions when needed – data export.

Intuit – when you look out the window that’s not a flock of birds you see in the distance. That’s our hard-earned money flying off to other, more focussed, customer-responsive software vendors.

As the police say: “Move along, please. There’s nothing to see here”

Gary Speechley
Sydney, Australia

I have spent hundreds of dollars on Windows licenses and emulation/virtualization software just so I could run Q for Windows on my computers. All because Q for Mac is a horrible, horrible app. [I can't believe a billion-dollar company like Intuit is willing to stamp its name on this pile of binary offal.]

So ditto about the need to make Quicken files platform neutral. That is the indispensable requirement if Q for Mac is to gain widespread adoption.

You owe me this, Intuit people. This is personal.

Scott,

I don’t know what the requirements are that the “beta testers” are requesting, but most of the “users” on this blog are posting the same request that “Mac users” have been asking for for 10 years. We want the same functionality and file parity as Quicken for Windows users.

We want the ability to choose any financial institution we want, not just the ones that support Macs. As I posted during the QFL beta “Quicken for Mac users” don’t want an application full of eye candy, or UI functions included just because you can do it. We want an application that contains the functionality we need to track our finances and investments with rock solid reliability and stability.

I have been using Quicken since I bought my Apple II GS. Just like your development team I have been very busy the last 2-3 years testing and evaluating other financial software packages. I have not been successful in finding a replacement for Quicken 2007, but the clock is ticking.

Glenn