For as nearly as far back as I can remember — and in this particular case , I can remember as far back as 2001 — the dog day of August have always include the release of the previous rendering of Quicken . That ’s not happening this prison term around , at least not on the Mac side . Intuit update the Windows variation of its personal finance managera dyad of week ago . That , plus the fact that a Mac update was MIAplussome on-line report that a sales rep was recite sept that Quicken 2007 would be the last Mac version of the app fire hearsay that Quicken ’s day on the Mac were numbered .
They ’re not , apparently , at least not according to Intuit , which you would think would have the inside dope on the matter . Quicken ’s Mac delay , Intuit suppose , is linked to OS X 10.5 ’s holdup , mean that the next Mac translation wo n’t appear until after Leopard ’s October 2007 vent . And besides a desktop version , Intuit is also working on an online edition of Quicken , which should arrive in 2008 . Intuit says the online edition will be “ platform agnostic , ” allowing users to traverse their finance “ via any Web web internet browser . ”
So that ’s something to look forward to — both the desktop version of Quicken and its World Wide Web - based counterpart . It ’s always encouraging to listen a major developer reaffirm its commitment to the Mac platform . And , as the rise of Google ’s online coating indicates , it ’s always interesting to explore on-line alternatives to desktop - bound loyalist . I hope to see more from Intuit on both fronts .
But some of the forum back - and - forth over this Quicken business get me thinking : Would it be that earth - shattering a developing if Intuit were to descale back its Mac mien ? That is , if it were to slow down the stride of its software updates or to shift more of its development resources to an on-line version — would that be a drive for licit worry among Mac exploiter ?
I suppose , in a sense , it might be . If a developer reaffirm its Mac commitment is encouraging , as I say it was in the beginning , then a developer curtailing Mac support would seem to be the opposite . But there are other factor at play here .
First off , late revisions to Quicken have added some features , though nothing that could be considered truly revolutionary . The 2007 variation of the software package added a QuickEntry Dashboard whatsis while the 2006 edition added a Smart Payee feature , .Mac backup , and greater programing flexibleness . Nice enhancements , sure as shooting , but nothing that needs dominate an upgrade . In fact , Macworld ’s reviews of the last four versions of Quicken—2007 , 2006 , 2005 , and 2004 — all included some variation of this buying advice proffer by Chris Barylick in his critical review of Quicken Mac 2007 : “ If a previous version of Quicken is working well for you , then the additional bells and whistle may not be necessary . ” Second , Quicken might still be the pre - eminent personal finance app on the Mac , but it ’s not the only game in town . Our September 2007 military issue includes a visibility of eight Quicken choice . Based on reader feedback , the article could have included a 9th option — Moneydance , which just come out with a newfangled interlingual rendition . Having that many choices is ordinarily the planetary house of a level-headed market . This is not the Mac platform of a decennium ago , where yanking a Cartesian product might cause the rest of the market to topple like a poorly construct Jenga tower — the Mac creation is strong enough these day to stand firm such ebbing and flow , and that goes for Quicken as much as any Cartesian product .
Of naturally , if we take Intuit at its Holy Scripture , we need n’t interest about the impact of such a deviation . In fact , if the postponement in releasing a 2008 edition of Quicken devote the company meter to make for on a meaty acclivity of the covering or a truly political platform - agnostic personal finance cock ( or , even better , both ) then it ’s in the end a positive for everyone concerned — for Intuitandfor Mac user .
