“It is well known that the Mac version of Quicken has long trailed behind the Windows version. Why this should be so is anyone’s guess. The price of Quicken 2015 for Mac is $74.99, same as Quicken Deluxe for Windows, a mid-priced version. On the basis of price alone, customers have a right to expect comparable products,” Gene Steinberg writes for The Tech Night Owl. “But that’s not quite how Quicken works.”
“Indeed, the latest version of the app actually dispenses with features that existed in previous Mac versions. You can no longer create a 12-month budget, show loan amortization, or pay bills from the app,” Steinberg writes. “But why? In addition, such features as multi-currency conversion that are found in the Windows versions of the app have never made it to the Mac platform.”
“To add insult to injury, Quicken board chairman Bill Campbell served as a member of Apple’s board of directors for 17 years. He announced his resignation recently, and interviews have touted his wonderful relationship with the company and the late Steve Jobs. All well and good, but I do wonder whether Jobs or Cook ever asked Campbell why the Mac versions of Quicken’s software almost always trailed the Windows venisons in features… even in situations where they cost exactly the same,” Steinberg writes. “I also wonder, in reading those fawning interviews with Campbell, why he isn’t being asked why Mac users must accept second best if they choose a Quicken product. How could the man continue to serve on Apple’s board yet allow the company for which he’s chairman treat Mac users in this way?”
Steinberg writes, “Were I to buy a personal financial app, I would first look at other options, from publishers who care about the Mac platform, before I gave Quicken another go.”
Read more in the full article – highly recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: Hear, hear!
The fact is that Intuit long ago wrote off the Mac. They expected the Mac to die. Then the geniuses at Intuit, makers of money management software, realized (years after it was blatantly obvious to pretty much everyone else with a brain) that the people with money to manage basically all have Macs. Oopsie! Such smart leadership they have at Intuit.
As with Adobe, we’ll never forget how you wrote off the Mac for dead, Intuit.
Related articles:
Intuit releases Quicken 2015 for Mac; includes free mobile companion app – August 21, 2014
Sue Wagner joins Apple’s Board of Directors; Bill Campbell retiring after 17 years of service – July 17, 2014
Intuit: Mac OS X Lion Compatible Quicken for Mac 2007 to be released ‘soon’ – December 22, 2011
Intuit releases Quicken Mac 2007 – August 1, 2006
Apple’s Mac is en route to dominance – July 29, 2014
Apple’s Q314: Surging Mac defies a shrinking Windows PC market – July 24, 2014
Newsflash: Apple sells premium products at premium prices to premium customers – October 23, 2012
Apple Mac owns 90% market share for ‘premium’ PCs costing over $1,000 with $499 iPad coming soon – February 1, 2010
NPD: Apple grabbed 91% share of premium computer market in June – July 23, 2009
Sounds like an new apple product opportunity: iMoneyManager?
iBucks!
$Bucks
“… but I do wonder whether Jobs or Cook ever asked Campbell why the Mac versions of Quicken’s software almost always trailed the Windows venisons in features… ”
Windows venisons? Well there’s the problem.
MoneyDance is a great app for Mac. I love it.
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why they would not include the feature that lets you pay bills electronically from within the software. That’s a deal-breaker for me right there. I read an interview with a Quicken chieftain who said that they didn’t include that feature because people don’t use it. Well, duh. No one uses features that aren’t there.
The Intuit CEO is full of crap.
How does Intuit go to all this trouble and leave off the one most essential feature “Support of Quicken Billpay”?????
This is all about double-dipping. I won’t pay now then again in 6 months for feature that are already a part of the Windows product.
I use iBank
The interface is better, report generation is very customizable, and budgeting is simple. Downloading bank information is effortless.
Well, since I have been waiting so long for this new version, I decided to be an early adopter. $75 flushed down the crapper. While it is better than that crap Quicken Essentials, it is buggy beyond belief and the biggest hope I had with it, iOS integration, doesn’t work. Fortunately Intuit is refunding me my money. I’ll revisit it if they fix it and improve it.
You Need A Budget, or YNAB for short.
I’ve tried a lot of budgeting programs, and it’s by far the best in my opinion.
Mac = 6% marketshare. Nuff said.
Yes, but Mac users are much more affluent that Windows users, and thus more likely to actually use budgeting/tracking software.
This is the fairy tale that makes Apple fans intolerable.
But it’s not. Surveys have shown it to be true over and over again. For example:
http://www.businessinsider.com/android-is-for-poor-people-maps-2014-4
Why do you celebrate affluence in an impoverish world? Maxing out your credit card to buy Apple gadgets does not make you affluent! Americans are quite an interesting study in the human condition. Yikes!
And you’re making quite the assumption about Apple users and credit card debt. I’m guessing you’re European, where you have had multiple countries basically go belly up from crushing debt. Pot calling the kettle black?
Studies have also shown that iPhone users spend far more money, whether on apps, in-app purchases, music/media purchases, or via web purchases than any other platform’s users.
Check your sources. There is no study that is credible that indicates affluence and the Apple user. More FUD.
Fairy tale?
NPD study :
“66% of Apple computer households have three or more computers. For Windows households, only 29% have three or more computers.
Apple owners are more likely to have a notebook — 72% of Mac households have a notebook, while only 50% of PC households go portable.
The average Apple household has 48 consumer electronics devices, while the average computer household has about 24.
While Apple owners tend to own more computers and more electronics devices, there is also a high correlation among Apple owners and more affluent consumer households,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis. “Thirty-six percent of Apple computer owners reported household incomes greater than $100,000, compared to 21 percent of all consumers.”
The study is from 2008, it’s probably MORE true today as 50% of mac buyers are new consumers, most affluent PC users who go can upgrade have moved to Mac (like moving from a leaking Yugo to a BMW, or perhaps more accurately from a a DISEASE and CRIME RIDDEN SLUM to a high end neighbourhood with full service and security) .
You want me to cut and paste also the study that shows Mac users are SMARTER as well? (study that shoes larger percentage of mac users have higher education, IQ …. )
🙂 eat you heart out
Count your blessings that you and I will never be in the same room as I would tear you a new one. You are a pompous ass typical of the American mindset. You guys are all a piece of work! Studies the likes of the one you reference are FUD and often times paid for as means to drive the results. BTW ahole, I probably own more Apple tech than most of you on here, but I NEVER proclaim that my doing so makes me better than someone less fortunate than me. You are the poster boy for what is wrong with this world!
Davewrite didn’t say a thing about someone owning Apple products being better than someone else. Maybe it’s your anger that is the problem with this world.
I’m a “pompous ass ” for quoting a third party ‘study’ ?
looks like I got a nerve hey?
hey MORE studies:
this time from Nielsen (you know the ratings company. I guess you’ll say Nielsen is all FUD too… _
Nielsen:
“TS Kelly, director and principal analyst at NetRatings, said that his company decided to publish the study after noticing the differences between the demographics of Mac owners compared with overall PC owners.
Nielsen/NetRatings said that 70.2 percent of Mac users online have a college degree, compared with 54.2 percent of all Web surfers.”
SUCK GAS dude.
🙂
1.4 billion PC users to 100 million Mac Users. Nuff said. BTW, you need to take your meds or get out of your parent’s basement as you are coming off as a complete imbecile. The discussion is about MAC support from software developers and not about pompous asses like you. American grandeur has always been fictitious as your are incredibly stupid borrowers who will kneel before China within the next 5 years.
“The discussion is about MAC support from software developers ”
huh? my original post was in REPLY to YOURS that said the theory Mac users were more affluent was a ‘fairy tale’. You are the one who was discussing the affluent thing before me and now that I quoted studies to blast your ignorant misconceptions (to mote like smithereens) you go all “huffy” lol.
the rest of your post is kinda RABID huh?
FACTS getting under your skin?
“1.4 billion PC users to 100 million Mac users.”
there are also fewer people with BMWs than cheap cars,
fewer people who are NASA astronauts than those with less exacting jobs …
your point is?
You just reinforced my point and please stop insulting BMW this way! You are quite the reflection of what Americans are like. So funny…
Insulting BMW’s?
Great drivers car, that becomes a driveway queen as soon as it snows.
And almost always driven by complete assholes who imagine that the ownership of one confirms upon them absolute mastery of the highway.
Please, JP, you really are coming across as a complete cock.
Point is: there are few aftermarket accessories for BMWs than there are for higher volume cars. And it will always remain so, because no matter how rich and smart Mac users are, Apple isn’t doing much to attract more developers to the Mac. Until sheer numbers of Mac users becomes significant, software developers will always prioritize Windows. There is no sense i arguing that point with your cherry-picked data.
Even developers who do write code for the Mac dumb it down, as this article shows, because they don’t think Mac users will be profitable enough to make it worth their time.
What’s most inferiating for me is that Apple acts the EXACT SAME WAY. Minimal effort made for Mac software while iOS gets all the attention. Why? Mac has small market share, iOS has big market share. Just look at the updates, quality, and new technology and see that Apple isn’t supporting the Mac as well as they could either.
Please stop. He’s destroying you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a one-sided online whupping.
It’s like you turned up at a battle of wits without any ammo.
Doubling down on Stupid is never a good idea. JP sounds to me like one the 3rd world have-nots who’s simply jealous that he can’t afford Apple products. He fully understands how superior they are and it really gets under his skin that he they are out of his reach.
The REALITY is that there are 1.4 billion Windows based personal computers in existence. The VAST MAJORITY of them are in businesses. Virtually 100% of those in use by businesses are NEVER going to have any *PERSONAL* financial software installed on them.
You quote 6% for Mac market share. The REALITY is that this is the month by month or quarter by quarter SALES share. AND, it is the sales share for worldwide sales. The percentage of US sales is about double that.
The real number you should be quoting, but won’t because you don’t care about REALITY, is the installed base share. Study after study after study has shown that Mac users keep their computers longer than Windows based computer users do (even when you disregard business users). Therefore the installed base of personal Windows computers is not anywhere near as disproportional as you try to make it seem.
Before, and during, the so called Apple “Dark Days” Quicken for Mac *was* roughly equivalent to the Windows version. And guess what? The Mac market share (sales share) was not much more than it is now. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that Intuit decided that they were not going to keep the two versions equivalent.
Hell, let’s look at another product by Intuit: QuickBooks. In the 90s, QuickBooks for Mac was a very serviceable product for small businesses. But in the early 200s (long, long after Apple started making its resurgence and the Mac market share started to come back) Intuit decided to completely lobotomize QuickBooks for Mac. Ah yes, it makes perfect sense to lobotomize — and effectively kill future sales of, a product for a computer whose installed base is only increasing! Only Intuit would think of, and implement, such an idiotic concept.
The reality is that Intuit for the last 15 years (and even more so in the last 10 years) has decided to treat the Mac platform and support for Mac users as a necessary evil — one for which they will do the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM that they can do.
The Mac community would be better off without either Quicken or QuickBooks.
Is that you Frank (Shadowself) ? Well said!
hey this is fun, I’m on a roll!
study that shows mac users have higher IQ
Dutch Daily News:
“Mac users are smarter than Windows users, according to a recent study.
The study was conducted by Intelligent Elite: they asked two million Internet users to perform an online IQ survey. The study revealed some remarkable differences.
Mac users scored an average of six IQ points higher than Windows users.”
another study that shows iPhone users have the quickest wits:
“a data set of 1,000 respondees, whose time answering a series of questions (including problem solving, pattern recognition conundrums,
Phone users were found to have the quickest wits — with an average completion time of 94 seconds — while BlackBerry users were the slowest at 118 seconds. Samsung owners, meanwhile, clocked in at an average of 103 seconds”
Old jp threw out a threat. jp, I wonder if ye a$$ can back up ye mouth.
Congratulations, you are on a roll.
But you are totally missing the point too. Total population of installed user base, not annual sales or intelligence of users, and not affluence of users, is by far the biggest factor that determines what new software will be created on what platform, as well as the support and features that will be supported.
Like it or not, the Mac is being margnialized because all those smart affluent rich Mac users aren’t buying enough Mac software. If you had the proof to show otherwise, then you need to give it to Intuit and about a thousand other software developers whose software for the Mac is just an afterthought to keep them busy between Windows releases.
More assumptions about Americans. Most have never expericed Ameican life and yet hate what they expect Americans to be. Yet, when there is a problem or need we offer or get called. We give more out of our own pockets to charities than probably most of other citizens of this world. Maybe that is the problem with the world – too much hate. By the way, most of America are small towns and rural life farming. Long cry from the pompous urbanites.
“The butthurt is strong with this one.”
While Americans can be pompous assholes, you, JP, are not so much pompous as full of shit.
Speaking as an Englishman.
JP – please go home.
And find a blog suitable to your “vision thing”.
Sadly, Mac users don’t buy multiple copies of Quicken to offset the large numbers of Windows users.
They are all using iPads now. Some iPhones. ALMOST NONE are using the Microsoft Surface. No problem, I stopped personally using Quicken a long time ago. All those graduates using Macs will not be using it either. You know, 85% to 90% of the new generation with money.
I like their plan. I like it a lot!
The Windows PC that runs the security system in the building will never use any other software. But it is counted towards market share. Same with the Windows laptop on my work desk, it will never have any other software loaded either.
It would be interesting to know how many home computers are Mac vs. PC.
JP (anonymous coward): Could it be any clearer that all you have to offer is TROLLING?
Frack off! You don’t see us trolling around Windows forums. Do you.
Meanwhile, back in reality:
Gartner: Apple Mac third in U.S. PC market with 10.8% share in Q114
Well, look at that! 10.8%. in the USA.
That 10.8% was based on Gartner’s guesstimates. After Apple released its first calendar quarter results it was adjusted to 11.8%.
Oh and DARN JP (anonymous coward)! Have a sob over these figures! 😥
Apple’s surprising sales in emerging markets like China & Latin America keep Mac growth ahead of PC market
Limping and lagging PC market. Macs are eating their market share. The Stone Age of Computing slowly draws to its conclusion.
But it’s not, try 12% in the US, and as high as 25% in California and some other states, and growing.
@ MacDailyNews:
…Hear, Hear? or Here, Here?
MDN got it correct. The term comes from public announcing dating back centuries, where the town crier would tell the people to listen — he did not tell them to move “here”.
If you do choose to go with the new Quicken be warned. There is NO way to import data from non-Intuit programs. The solution that Support has is to buy Quicken 2007 which has this feature! And then you can import Quicken 2007 data to Quicken 2015. Personally I think this is brain-dead. Or at least whoever designed this is.
I agree with all that was said the Mac version is nowhere near the windows version I run parallels to use the Windows version and downloaded the Mac version to give it a try. I now have found that the Mac version is archaic compared to the Windows version that syncs automatically. in the Mac I have to download Quicken file and then imported in instead of automatically having it sync, so I’m going to try to see if I can’t get my money back. you would think Intuit would support the Mac.
We moved to MoneyDance after doing a bake-off for a user group. Won’t give Intuit a dime.
Goodness, GRACIOUS, that LP fellow has his knickers in a bunch! David had an easy job of poking him with a stick to make him howl some more.
Such vitriol over Quicken 2015!
(I’ll stick with iBank for now until exhaustive critiques have come in about this new fangled Quicken.)
I envisioned LP as the Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil whirling and snarling in a cloud of dust!
Oddly enough, I like the Mac version of TurboTax better than the Windows version. Too bad I will likely look elsewhere intuit tries to extort money out of me when the choose to no longer allow bank downloads in the Windows version unless I upgrade.
http://www.personalcapital.com
Enough said.
There’s something profoundly and permanently BRAIN DEAD about Intuit. They’ve ‘dissed’ Macs for decades. Quicken used to be fine for Mac. Then it went into decay and I personally gave up. The alternatives are plentiful.
Then there’s QuickBooks. At least Intuit is bothering to write a version of QuickBooks for Mac. That’s a step. But I’m unaware of any accountant who finds it as functional as the Windows version. But this is mere hearsay. It would be great if Intuit has finally begun treating finance professionals on Macs as professionals.
An amusing typo in the summary here at MDN:
…ever asked Campbell why the Mac versions of Quicken’s software almost always trailed the Windows venisons…
Mmm. Venison.
The typo is not currently in the source article.
The typo should have read Venusians. Venusians are hot, Martians are cold. Terrans are just right.
Thanks, hannahjs, for clearing that up for us. I was somewhat confused.
This is exactly why, when I needed an accounting app for my small business, I went straight for AccountEdge rather than Quickbooks. Intuit’s history of mistreating and disrespecting Mac users is long and ugly.
I have used Intuit products in the long gone by past and felt betrayed by them. My accountants would tell me that they couldn’t access the data and the products were useless. I have discouraged any friends or colleagues from using Intuit products ever since.
Boycott Intuit products and services.
It’s the same crap that they pull with Quickbooks. The Mac version FINALLY started getting better with the 2010 version, but it’s still not up to par.
Q2007 user. Q2015 definitely has a beta feel to it: couple crashes first day; additionally needed to close main window in order to get accurate redraw/listing of accounts. Could not accomplish direct access of primary bank/investments – Wells Fargo did not recognize Q2015 as current software, recommending software update. However, web connect downloads went well, the software accurately recognizing shares & share prices (in contrast to Q2007). The UI is overly simplified (as is OS Yosemite) & bland: I prefer Q2007 UI as I prefer Mavericks over Yosemite, but will adapt. Hopefully Intuit will reinstate Bill Pay!
Why in the world would anyone even CONSIDER an intuit product given the way they screwed us once???
For the first 3 years of owning a mac, I used VmWare to run windows just for quicken. Back then the mac choices were pretty “beta” but I tried all of them and settled on iBank and MoneyDance. I use iBank now but both are good choices – MoneyDance looks more like Quicken, iBank looks more “mac” and now that I know iBank, I can do everything the old quicken did including creating online bank payments within the app.
Forget that quicken and intuit even exist!!!
I believe I have always known the answer.
Does anyone not remember that Microsoft tried to buy Intuit in the 90s? I remember that Bill Gates stated that he wanted Microsoft to control (read: monopolize) the best money management software. The two companies were to merge.
Then M$ had to pull the deal thanks to the antitrust division of the US Justice Department.
But I still remember afterwards that Gates assured that M$ and Intuit would still partner together.
Everyone should know how M$ has been historically fond of providing versions of its office software for the Mac that was missing features from its Windows counterpart. Beginning with Word 6, it seemed that M$ underhanded goal was to frustrate its Mac users so that they might eventually switch to Windows. Mac users never got the full suite of Office applications, and what we got often had missing features and compatibility problems. (Interesting, like Intuit.) I’ve never believed it was anything else but to M$’s desire to cripple the Mac version enough, so that M$ can boast to get the “real” version, you needed to use Windows.
I’ve always felt that after the failure of Gates to acquire Intuit, that he and Intuit made a financial deal under the table. The result was similar to what M$ does with the Mac versions of Office. Intuit would always provide a Mac version that is delayed and missing features from the Windows counterpoint.
I’ve always felt the history of Intuit’s dissing the Mac community with Quicken and QuickBooks came from this merger with M$ that almost happened and from Gates desire to own the financial software segment for Windows lock-in.
Almost every shady thing M$ has historically done has been for the purpose to control it’s Windows monopoly. It seems to me that this is the only logical explanation as to why Intuit can continue to treat its Mac users as its unwanted child.
[M$ did a similar thing with Avid in the 90s. After boasting of a new partnership, Avid prematurely announced at NAB that they wouldn’t be supporting the Mac anymore. Much blowback came from that.]
What beats me is why Steve never saw this Intuit/M$ connection as an explanation to Quicken/QuickBooks historic lack of Mac feature parity and why he then didn’t call Bill Campbell out on it.