After a six-year hiatus from the Mac business market, Intuit returns
in a big way with QuickBooks Pro version 5.0. After test driving this
program for several weeks, I am convinced it is the clear choice for
running the accounting functions of your business, large or small.
Despite my satisfaction with QB Pro 5, I still came away with a
fairly extensive "wish list" of features. More on those later.
It is not complete accurate to say that Intuit took a hiatus from
the Mac in terms of their professional accounting package. Although
active development ceased in 1997, they continued to sell QuickBooks
Pro 4 and also released periodic maintenance updates.
I consider myself an experienced veteran of QuickBooks. We ran our
law firm, where I was responsible for both Information Technology and
Finance, on QuickBooks. When I left the firm in 1999, we were on
version 4. I don't remember it seeming particularly outdated.
Before I evaluated version 5, I decided to install my old copy of
version 4, if for no other reason than to reminisce. I got that
distinct, "Toto, we ain't in Kansas anymore" feeling when one of the
first screens on the installer asked me if I wanted to do a Standard
Installation, to run on any Mac, even a pre-PowerPC 68k Mac, a Power
Mac only installation, or a "Fat Binary" installation. It has been a
long time since I even thought about Fat Binaries, a holdover from the
era of transition from the Motorola 680x0 processors to the
PowerPC.
When QuickBooks is first installed and you choose to open up the
sample data file, you receive a message that, while using the sample
file, the date on your Mac will be set far into the future, presumably
so that any transactions entered will be noticed as clearly out of
place and not confused with real data. With version 5, the date is set
to Dec. 15, 2004; with version 4, Dec. 15, 1995 - it really has been
long time.
QB Pro 5 is designed for OS X, and that is readily apparent from the
completely redesigned Aqua-compliant interface. However, in a move that
scores some serious points with us here at Low End Mac, the software also runs on OS
9.2.2. I spent almost as much time in 9.2.2 as I did in OS X, and
there was no discernible difference under either OS.
The program requires 9.2.2, which I verified by unsuccessfully
attempting to install it on 9.1. Officially, the only Macs that will
take 9.2.x are those that are officially OS X compatible, and every Mac
that falls into that category shipped with at least a G3 processor.
However, Intuit's official requirements list a Mac with a "PowerPC
processor." One could theorize that if you could get 9.2.2 on a pre-G3
Mac (and this is possible - see reader tips in yesterday's Miscellaneous Ramblings
Mailbag) that QB Pro 5 should work on it as well. From a speed
perspective, I would not foresee a problem. The program was perfectly
snappy on a G3/300.
You will note that QB Pro 5 requires a screen resolution of at least
1024 x 768, precluding installation on the clamshell iBooks and
the original PowerBook
G3.
One of the new features in version 5 is the ability to create a PDF
file from invoices, statements, and reports so they can be emailed.
This is listed as an OS X only feature, presumably due to the fact
that PDF creation relies on the inherent ability of OS X to create
PDFs from any document that can be printed.
However, using longtime Mac programmer Jim Walker's great shareware
($20) utility, PrintToPDF, I was
able to do the same thing in OS 9. Users with the full version of
Adobe Acrobat will also be able to do this in OS 9.
The ability to quickly and easily create invoices for email could be
a significant time and money saver for some businesses. If your
business sends out hundreds or thousands of invoices, imagine the
savings in postage alone.
Another new feature is the Report Finder, which allows you to select
the report or graph you need, with samples shown onscreen, before you
print it. QB Pro 5 has over 80 built-in reports, separated into various
categories. Customization of reports and forms has also been enhanced
in this new version.
Another thing we really like is that QB Pro 5 comes with an honest
to goodness printed, 518-page users guide. No searching through PDF
files or visiting websites required for basic (or even advanced)
operational instructions. Supplemental material is available via PDF
files.
QuickBooks Pro 5 handles payroll using Aatrix Top Pay, a topnotch
third-party program included in the package and completely integrated
with QuickBooks. A full-featured payroll program, Top Pay prints
payroll checks, handles direct deposit of employees' paychecks, and
issues reports on everything from employee vacation and sick time to
payroll taxes.
If you are a new user, QB Pro 5 will have you up to speed in less
than half an hour, thanks to its tutorial and setup wizards. Tell the
program what kind of company you run, and QuickBooks will take it from
there. If you are upgrading, QB Pro 5 will only open data files created
with QuickBooks Pro 4 revision M12a. It will not open files created
with earlier versions of the Mac product, QuickBooks for Windows, or
any other accounting packages.
Rating: 3 out of 4 LEMs
Low-down: A good upgrade for OS X users or those new to
QuickBooks. Value is not as clear-cut for QuickBooks 4 users still
running the Classic Mac OS.
Pros
- Best program around for business bookkeeping
- Everything it does, it does well
- Easy to set up, even for beginners
- OS X native; also runs on 9.2.2
Cons
- Lacks feature parity with Windows counterpart
- Inability to share files with Windows version
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QuickBooks Pro 5 works great. Everything it does, it does well and
performs just as advertised. However, all of the shortcomings of the
product lie in what it does not do. QB Pro 5 is woefully lacking in
feature parity with its Windows counterparts.
There is no cross-platform compatibility with the Windows version.
Mac files can be converted to the Windows file format, but not
vice-versa. This is an essential feature that is present in almost all
programs, including Microsoft Office and MYOB Account Edge. The most
common scenario requiring seamless file sharing would occur when a
business needed to send its file to an accountant, who might do some
work on the file and return it. Currently, that is not possible with
this Mac version.
QB Pro 5 is not multi-user capable. Although it can be installed on
a network, only one user at a time can access the data. It does not
support online banking. All of these are features we would like to see
included in the next update. 
