Founded by Jack Dorsey (who also co-founded Twitter), Square began offering its hardware credit card reader, which plugs into the iPhone or iPad’s 3.5mm headphone jack, in May of 2010. It briefly stopped shipping the device between June and August of last year while it addressed a security vulnerability, and then continued shipping out free readers to any who signed up for the service and requested one. Square charges nothing for the hardware, or for the service, but it does take a 2.75 percent cut of each credit card transaction processed using its software.

Although the Square reader is available direct at no charge from Square, it will be selling for $9.95 in Apple Store. But Square is also including $10 credit in transactions with the version sold through Apple retail channels, so the price actually evens out. Square’s business model isn’t about selling hardware, after all, but about netting that 2.75 percent fee on every transactions for the life of the card reader. Securing Apple Store availability, even at a loss when it comes to hardware costs, will only ensure that it extends its reach well beyond its current audience and into the mainstream buying public.

Square isn’t the first mobile payment option to be made available direct from Apple. Intuit and Mophie partnered to bring the GoPayment app and Marketplace reader accessory to Apple Stores in August. Intuit’s solution requires a monthly fee, which features a tiered payment plan that offers two options depending on the volume of your monthly business. Square’s decision to stay away from plans and instead use a simple, clear, no-nonsense fee structure has made it appealing to small business and independent contractors alike.

Mobile payments has become a heated battlefront lately, as more users begin to look for quick and easy ways to pay for things on the go. Square recently crossed the $1,000,000 in transactions processed per day threshold, a remarkable achievement for such a relative newcomer to the payment processing industry. The service also recently came under fire from competitor VeriFone, which released a public statement and demo software reportedly exposing a key security weakness with the Square processing method. Many argued that the weakness was not really anything specific to Square’s method, and in fact represented a general danger when dealing with any credit card payments.

The mobile payment industry is already competitive, but growing consumer comfort and familiarity with connected mobile devices and the looming potential of NFC are poised to make it even more so. That Square has managed to secure a coveted spot in Apple retail is a strong sign that it’s about to gain significant ground in the ongoing battle.

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When I first saw Intuit’s solution, I immediately thought of Square, Jack Dorsey’s similar solution for the iPhone that launched earlier this year. There are key differences between the two payment processing approaches however, as Intuit is clearly targeting small business transactions, while Square aims more at consumer micro-payments. That difference is most evident in cost: the mophie case is $179.99, while a Square reader is free but fees are higher. Businesses using GoPayment pay a competitive $0.30 to $0.34 for each transaction, plus a portion of the transaction amount, which ranges from 1.7 to 2.7 percent of each sale. By comparison, Square only charges a $0.15 transaction fee but 2.5 to 3.5 percent of the transaction amount.

Earlier today, I spoke with Mary Lunneborg, Intuit’s GoPayment senior product manager about the product and fee structure. Lunneborg didn’t detail what Intuit’s cut of the transaction fees are, but did explain how the simplicity of the pricing appeals to small business owners. “There are no setup or cancellation fees, just a $12.95 monthly fee,” she said. Lunneborg also pointed out that Intuit offers a complete merchant account solution that “underwrites the business and risk.”

Another value add is the integration brought to Intuit’s QuickBooks with the GoPayment system. Both QuickBooks for Mac and PC support transaction records from GoPayment, which will surely appeal to the more than 4 million users on QuickBooks today. Given such integration and simple pricing, it’s possible that some established or new small business owners might make this their only credit card solution, which is a plus in Intuit’s favor.

As far as the hardware goes, Intuit couldn’t have picked a better partner than mophie, based on my own use of other mophie products. The company has long made iPhone add-ons such as the Juice Pack, which is a hybrid case and extra battery for Apple’s iPhone. This afternoon, I asked Ross Howe, mophie’s VP of marketing, how the standardization of the iPhone is bringing opportunity for mophie.

“With Apple,” Howe said,”you can get an economy around your product and build around a standard life-cycle.” Indeed, having a standard handset with only one type of connector makes it easier for a company such as mophie to build an add-on case that will work with millions of devices. Conversely, unless Intuit can get mophie or another hardware maker to build a card reader that uses a micro USB port, the company is shut out of the fast growing market of Android users. And for now, the Intuit – mophie solution is limited to Apple’s iPhone 3G and 3GS — no iPhone 4 support as of yet, although it’s coming soon, as Howe jokingly told me, “We’re chasing Apple’s form factor.” Lunneborg chimed in that other platforms are under consideration for GoPayment and Bluetooth-enabled devices might be the solution around the varying connection issues.

Clearly, Intuit is gunning for a bigger slice of the mobile transactions space, estimated to hit more than half a trillion dollars by 2014. For as different as the new mobile GoPayment solution is from Square, however, it shares a common feature — a fight between everyone ranging from credit card companies with near-field communications solutions to cellular carriers and hopes for their own common payment standard in order to get a bigger piece of that mobile payment pie.

Related GigaOM Pro Research (subscription required): A Mobile Payments Glossary

“Quicken Essentials is our first Mac-native Quicken product, and demonstrates our new commitment to the Mac platform,” said Aaron Patzer, vice president and general manager of Intuit’s Personal Finance Group. “We’re glad customers took it seriously when we asked for their feedback. These are the first in a series of changes we’re planning to ensure Quicken Essentials users have the tools they need to manage their money easily and affordably.”

New Features

The first set of enhancements to Quicken Essentials for Mac will be available by the end of the month and will let customers:

• Protect files with passwords.
• Export transaction data to spreadsheets for further analysis.
• Additional enhancements are expected throughout the year, enabling customers to:
• Obtain a complete picture of current net worth by entering investment holdings from brokerages that do not download to Quicken.
• Compare spending between time periods to better understand expenses.
• Export tax-deductible expenses to tax filing programs, such as TurboTax.
• Track budgets across several months

Existing Quicken Essentials for Mac users will get these updates automatically as they become available.

Lower Price: Customer Refund Available

In addition, Quicken lowered the retail price for Essentials from $69.99 to $49.99. Customers who purchased the product before April 19, 2010 can obtain a $20 refund.  The offer is good through May 31, and further details are available at www.quicken.com/macrefund.

Intuit Should Have Done More From the Beginning

These measures will be welcome news to many users. The features slated for free updates are a good start, although some will be upset that their favorite feature is still missing (check printing, investment analysis, etc.). I think it is a good move for Intuit to go public with its plan to release these new features as free updates this year. It is tough for software publishers to pre-announce new features, but Intuit is in a bind here and needs to communicate to users that they will not be stuck with an inferior product.

The rebate is also a good idea, but perhaps too little too late. In my original review, one of my first reactions was that the price was too high to begin with for such an anemic first release. Quicken Essentials should have launched at $29. Then the v2 release could be $49 with a $20 upgrade for v1.0 customers.

What Do You Think?

Is this enough to assuage your anger or lessen your disappointment in buying Quicken Essentials for Mac? Will the lower price and promised features convince you to go out and get it now if you haven’t already?

I spent the last week or so playing with a copy of the new Quicken Essentials for Mac from Intuit and I can make this review really short for you. If you’re a die-hard Quicken user, you will hate (I mean really loathe and despise) the new Quicken Essentials product. If you are new to Personal Finance Management (PFM) software, then you will probably really like Quicken Essentials but still feel a little confused about why you have to pay $60 $69 for it.

Quicken Pops a Mint

Quicken 2007 for Mac was released in August of 2006. Since that time, Intuit has struggled to define its Mac strategy and loyal users have felt left behind. Intuit tried an online product that worked with the Mac, but were bewildered when a little startup, created as an anti-Quicken, amassed more subscribers. Last September, Intuit took another look at that startup and acquired Mint.com and placed Mint’s founder, Aaron Patzer at the head of the personal finance group at Intuit. That move appeared to show that Intuit was floundering and was looking for outside help to fix its core PFM business. Understandably, the new Quicken Essentials shows a strong Mint influence.

The Essence of Quicken

To start on the new version, Intuit threw away the code for previous releases and started over to create a Mac native version with a modern look and feel. One of the design goals was to create a financial app that would feel at home as part of the iWork suite and it mostly succeeded. The new version looks great and shows a lot of attention to simplifying the user experience in areas like adding new accounts. People that are new to Quicken will love how easy it is to get started.

The new version had four key features: to see all your accounts one place, to see where your money is going, to stay on top of bills, and to track goals for saving money.

Accounts in One Place

Quicken Essentials will download transactions from about 12,000 banks out of the box (around the same number that Mint.com currently supports) and up to 16,000 financial institutions will be supported in the next few months. This is over 3x the number of FI’s that Quicken for Windows supports. This is a tremendous improvement.

Where is My Money Going?

Quicken Essentials provides a nice looking home page with pie charts to quickly show where you stand. Instead of being buried in reports, this information comes front and center. QEM also supports budgets for tracking spending by category.

Plan for Bills

Quicken Essentials will analyze your previous spending and detect recurring bills to help you anticipate upcoming expenses. Of course, you can enter bills manually as well.

Set Goals for Saving Money

You can set goals and track your progress towards that goal.

The reboot of Quicken for Mac comes at a price in features however. While Intuit was fairly certain that they would cover 80 percent of the users from previous versions, there are going to be a lot of pretty upset users from the other 20 percent.

What’s Missing?

No Bill Pay

There is no Bill Pay feature in this release. Intuit found that less than 10 percent of existing customers were using that feature. Because major banks offer free online bill pay to their customers, this feature was axed as “non-essential.”

No Turbo Tax Link

There is no quick link to export tax prep reports direct to Turbo Tax. Many users would simply run the reports to look at spending by category and then type those numbers in Turbo Tax so, again, Intuit decided that this feature was also “non-essential.”

No Investment Tax Lot Accounting

QEM will track the current value of your investment accounts, but it does not provide any reports on the history of your transactions. Fortunately, all the transaction data is preserved in the underlying data and will be available to future versions that offer more comprehensive investment reporting.

The Future

Banking Services

QEM is one of the first places where you will see the integration between Intuit and Mint. All of the back-end will eventually be the same across Mint, Quicken for Windows and Quicken for Mac. Quicken for Mac will be the first product to get the big connection and then the rest will be ported over.

Parity with Windows

The whispered goal at Intuit is to bring parity to the Mac and Windows versions. This includes file format compatibility between different platforms. There is a clear acknowledgment that customers just want to get access to their financial information on whatever platform is available or convenient and Intuit is interested in being there.

Whither Quicken 2007 for Mac?

Quicken 2007 is still being fully supported. Intuit made it clear that it will provide support for a three-version window to include 2006, 2007 and Quicken Essentials.

iPad

No official statement here, but Intuit did discuss that the iPad is an “at your fingertips” device and financial data is a nice thing to have “at your fingertips.”

TheAppleBlog Recommends

I mentioned at the start that Quicken Essentials for Mac is similar in many ways to Mint. The product is streamlined, simple, visually appealing, and easy to jump into. They are so similar, that it is hard to understand why you should pay $59 for Quicken Essentials when you can use Mint.com for free. That decision comes down to…

• planning future transactions to manage cash flow
• importing historical data
• offline access

If you need any of those features, Quicken Essentials would be a good choice except for the price. For such a limited product (albeit a much cleaner and better designed product) I really think Intuit should have come out with $29 introductory pricing, $19 if you own any other Quicken product.

If you are a hard-core Quicken user and you like to reconcile your bank statements with your own records and you religiously enter all your receipts, you will be disappointed in this product. You might really like the next version that includes tax lot accounting and bill pay, but then hold on to your $60 $69 for a year (yes, I am an optimist and will hope against hope to see another version in a year). For the time being, hold on to Quicken 2007, or even Quicken 2010 for Windows, and see what happens.

Via the Quicken Blog, Intuit has announced a February release for the oft-delayed Mac financial software.

Intuit spokesperson Scott Gulbransen sought to “clear the air” regarding the rumored demise of Quicken for Mac. In recent days, Intuit had removed information about the formerly named Quicken Financial Life for Mac from its web site. This action, shortly after Microsoft’s cancellation of Money, may have led some to believe Intuit was giving up on a client-based application for the Mac in lieu of its online service. According to Gulbransen, the truth is much simpler: Intuit screwed up.

Feedback from Mac customers led us to rethink our approach to developing Quicken for Mac. We went back to the drawing board and are making changes to everything from what the program does to how it looks.

After being shown at Macworld Expos two years running, QFLM was finally released as a beta earlier this year. Reception was cold. As Gulbransen notes, “We learned the product was not doing what we – nor customers – wanted it to do.” Accordingly, development was reset, with changes including a new register, better reconciliation model, and a “robust” migration function for current Quicken users, including Quicken for Windows. They also dumped that idiotic name.

Intuit will be taking pre-orders for Quicken for Mac starting in October. Considering the troubled development history of the product, waiting until release would seem like a good idea. After all, what’s another seven months after three years?

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Intuit, the company that helps manage your money, may owe you some. Heck, even Apple might.

In the winter of 2007, Intuit’s Quickbooks for Mac 2006 contained a fatal bug — an automatic update erased the desktop folders of users’ accounts (yikes). Intuit’s silence on the issue was deafening. Finally, after days of complaining and people fighting with tech support, Intuit offered a free data recovery utility and a limited apology. Now, 18 months and a bunch of lawyers later, Intuit has settled and will offer to pay most expenses related to data loss, recovery and data recreation. They’ll even give you a free copy of Quickbooks 2007. Yawn. Don’t have your receipts related to that bug? Oops.

Apple avoided a lawsuit of their own last week by agreeing to cover MacBook Pros with distorted video due to a problem with the NVIDIA 8600M GT graphics processor. If you paid for a repair due to this issue, Apple may reimburse you. These repair extensions come through every so often and almost always after significant complaints by Apple users, including petitions, angry blog posts, and such — you know the drill. Apple extends the warranty to three years for the identified issue and compensates those who already paid for the repair. As a tip, before you pay for a repair, search out “repair extension” and your model of Mac. Not all repair centers check for these repair extensions, so it helps when you do.

Both announcements underscore the importance of saving receipts for repairs and other losses related to these failures. Receipts take up little space and just only a moment to store. I scan all of my receipts for repairs and documentation into a special iPhoto album called “Disputes.” “Print PDF to iPhoto” is a real helper as well. I use keywords to make them searchable and they are backed up along with the rest of my photos. When these announcements come through, I’m ready to go. A few minutes of your time can really pay off.

Want to know which issue might be the next repair extension? Read Apple’s Annual Report 10-Q and check out the Legal Proceedings Section. Those are the issues ripe for settlement and repair extension.

Consumers really do get reimbursed after submitting receipts and filling out paperwork, usually more often then pesky rebates. All the parties involved know most people don’t like filling out forms, so often the money goes unclaimed by those who were affected. I personally got reimbursed for my faulty iBook adapter, got a battery replacement for my iPod, and received an allowance for my scratched iPod Nano. I don’t always agree with these class actions, but the fact is, if you own a faulty product, it’s worth my while (and yours) to turn in the paperwork and get reimbursed.

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QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online, which runs entirely through a web browser, is not a replacement for the full feature set of QuickBooks Pro for Windows, or even QuickBooks for Mac. Instead, QuickBooks Online is a separate product that is positioned as an alternative for those people who require maximum portability and remote access to their accounting information or for multiple users who work in physically separate locations. The main feature missing from QuickBooks Online is inventory management. Otherwise, QuickBooks Online Plus (a $34.95 per month subscription) is very close in comparison to QuickBooks Pro.

If you can get by with fewer features, there is a $9.95 per month option, as well as a free option.

In addition to the Safari browser support, QuickBooks Online has a web interface that has been optimized for the iPhone. Today’s announcement also reveals that the iPhone web app has been updated to allow for more editing on the mobile device than was previously possible. You can now edit customer, vendor and employee information as well as create and send invoices.

These changes to the app will make it accessible to Mac users, but will make it far more useful for those with iPhones, too. I would still like to see timecards in the iPhone app, as this seems like the natural place to do job timesheets for many service companies.

Safari 4? Firefox?

The current release only supports Safari 3.1. Firefox for Mac and the Safari 4 beta will not work. I did try setting the user agent to Safari 3.2.1 using the Develop menu in the Safari 4 beta, and everything seems to work, but Intuit will not support this configuration. Make sure you uninstall the Safari 4 beta, or just live with any potential quirks when setting the user-agent to a different value.

At Last! Multi-user QuickBooks Accounting on the Mac

The most significant reason to take a look at QuickBooks Online is that it finally gives Mac users true multi-user accounting from Intuit. Sure, you could use virtualization to run QuickBooks Pro for Windows or connect to a Terminal Server with Microsoft RDC, but this is a true Mac experience, even if it is online software.

For many, this will be a real boon to be able to share accounting data within a company that uses virtual office space to connect staff in different locations. The small business entrepreneur will be able to check up on things with their iPhone, or their Mac laptop at home.

Take a hard look at the feature list and see if it meets your needs. The problem for Mac users is that this is the only choice from Intuit for multi-user accounting, so we will probably approach it with a different set of needs than a Windows user who is considering it as an entry-level alternative to QuickBooks Pro. Still, $34.95 a month for multi-user accounting without the hassle of virtualization, Windows, etc., is a fair trade for many Mac users.

The Future of Mac Software?

I think it makes great sense for QuickBooks to provide multi-user accounting to the Mac platform through the online version. It has been frustrating to live without multi-user support in QuickBooks for Mac, but I imagine any problems will get fixed faster in QuickBooks Online than waiting for updates to the Mac version. If the Online product continues to grow, then I see how Intuit could eventually drop QuickBooks for Mac entirely. The differences between the Mac and Windows versions have always been frustrating, and by going online only, it would create a scenario where both Mac and Windows users are working with the same data without having to go through a conversion process. Mac users would finally be using the same version of QuickBooks as their Windows counterparts, something we were all hoping would happen on the desktop side first. But if it takes going online to do it, I think most will appreciate the benefits of leaving that Mac-Windows gap in QuickBooks in the past.

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QuickBooks 2009 for Mac

In this latest release, Intuit has updated QuickBooks 2009 with a revamped user interface and streamlined access to frequently used aspects of the seminal accounting software for the Mac. The addition of the new home page and various “centers” provide an overview of the most common workflows associated with running a business. This new version also features integration with the Lightspeed Point of Sale system. It still has the Mac-specific goodies like online backup straight to your MobileMe account and syncing with Address Book.app and iCal. You can read our look at QuickBooks 2009 for Mac to get the big picture.

QuickBooks Online

Intuit’s latest online release promises compatibility with the Mac and the Safari web browser. Previous versions relied on ActiveX controls embedded in Internet Explorer to deliver a rich interface. Of course, this left Linux and Mac users out in the cold. While there is no firm release date for this new release of QuickBooks Online, Intuit is promising that it is not far away. In the meantime, there is limited support for the iPhone to access some features now. QuickBooks Online is not the right solution for everyone, but it does have some advantages for those that can live with its constraints. Get our overview of QuickBooks Online to decide if it might be right for you.

Reasons to Choose QuickBooks for Windows

In some cases, the features missing from the Mac version will not allow you to make a complete move over to the Mac. Maybe you are a professional accountant, or rely on the advanced features of QuickBooks Premier. Maybe you need multi-user access and features beyond what the online product has to offer. You can get a rundown on the major reasons to stick with QuickBooks for Windows here so that you can make an informed decision.

Running QuickBooks for Windows

If you have to run QuickBooks for Windows, you might as well know how to do it. We cover all the major methods that are available to run Windows software on your new Mac. In this article on running QuickBooks for Windows, we run through everything from Boot Camp to Remote Desktop to Virtualization. You will have everything you need to decide how to run QuickBooks for Windows.

Virtualization Tips & Tricks

The method that I prefer for running Windows software is to use virtualization software. This article covers a few tips and tricks for setting up your Virtual Machine and configuring it to take best advantage of the Mac environment you are using to host Windows. Read up on some ways to help ensure a smooth transition to running QuickBooks in a VM, and cover important topics like setting up the VM, making sure to quit the right things, and backups for your company file. You can read our tips for running QuickBooks in a VM and see what works for you.

Conclusion

In my years as a consultant, I have found that QuickBooks was often the most challenging part of switching a business over to the Mac. While I cannot claim that this guide is exhaustive, I do think that you will find a lot of valuable information to help you make good decision about how to handle QuickBooks as you transition over to the Mac. For some of you, that may mean continuing to run the Windows version, while still enjoying all the goodness of the Mac in the many areas where it really shines. There should be at least a little something for everyone here. Please let us know how you fare in the comments below.

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If you have 2-3 users and do not need to track inventory, then QuickBooks Online might be a great solution for your business. You get multi-user access at a lower cost than implementing a multi-user Windows installation. You can also provide online access to your accountant, but cannot export an accountant’s copy for editing in the desktop software like you can in QuickBooks for Windows.

There is an iPhone optimized web page available as well that gives you read-only access to a number of key pieces of information like “Who Owes Me,” “Who I Owe,” and Bank Account balances. You can also create new invoices on the upcoming iPhone web app.

Intuit is looking into expanding the feature set of the iPhone web portal to include editing existing invoices, but the feature set for the next release has not been locked down yet. I, for one, would love to see the timeclock available on the iPhone so you could clock in or out on a job site. I would also like to see the ability to add a new line item to an existing invoice so if you run a business where services are delivered on-site, it would be simpler to upsell or cross-sell at the customer site and update the invoice right then and there.

Pricing for QuickBooks Online starts at $9.95 per month, but the Online Plus version with most of the goodies starts at $34.95 per month for up to 3 users (access for your accountant is included for free, as are timeclock-only users). Release of QuickBooks Online with Mac compatibility is slated for release in the next few months.

Which One is Right for Me?

This is a tough question for Mac users. If you are running a small business with a single user accessing QuickBooks, then the desktop version is probably the right choice. The 2009 update does not offer huge improvements in functionality, but the interface is much improved and streamlined, and you get Leopard compatibility. All the reports that you likely need are included, and the new Cover Flow report browser makes it easy to find what you are looking for.

If you need multiple users to access your QuickBooks file, then I would seriously consider the Online service as soon as the Mac-compatible update is released to the public. You cannot manage inventory, but QuickBooks Online is the only way to get multi-user support natively. The iPhone web app has limited functionality today, but is a nice addition that will only get better with time.

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QuickBooks is one of those key business applications that many people who are considering a switch to the Mac are worried about leaving behind. While QuickBooks 2009 for Mac might be the perfect answer for many, others do not want to give up some of the key features of the Windows version.

Intuit provides a list of key differences, and I think the most important ones are the industry-specific editions of QuickBooks Premier, multi-user access, and the ability to create an Accountant’s Copy of your company file. If you need any of those features, then you’ll want to continue to run the Windows version of QuickBooks.

Fortunately, there are several good methods to accomplish this feat that won’t break the bank or leave you pulling your hair out. Just remember that you are still running Windows (with one exception pointed out below). You will need to make sure that you are protected from viruses and spyware. You might be tempted to turn off networking entirely to avoid the anti-virus tax, but QuickBooks receives frequent updates over the Internet and many people use the DirectConnect features to pull down their financial statements through the intertubes as well.

Boot Camp

You can use Boot Camp, a feature of Mac OS X Leopard, to run Windows on your Mac. This solution allows you to shut down your Mac and reboot into Windows natively. You can’t use your Mac applications while Windows is running, though. In this scenario, you are running Windows on your Mac just like you would run it on a PC. Compatibility is excellent because you really are just running Windows. The downside of this approach is that you can’t take your Mac email and documents and easily copy and paste or import that information into QuickBooks. Likewise, it can be hard to get to the Windows files when you are in the Mac side unless you install MacFUSE to read the NTFS filesystem.

CrossOver Mac

CrossOver Mac is a WINE project that tricks some (but not all) Windows software into thinking that it is talking to Windows XP and passes those requests along to Mac OS X. Because of this trickery, it doesn’t work for every application. If you search the compatibility list for “QuickBooks” you’ll see that CrossOver Mac is listed as “known not to work” for the most recent versions. It could be a good choice if you are running QuickBooks Pro 2004, but not if you have already upgraded to 2007 or 2009. Since it runs in Mac OS X, you can still pull information from your email or other documents on your Mac. And since it’s not actually Windows, you don’t have to worry so much about viruses and spyware.

CrossOver Mac is $40 for the Standard version and $70 for the Pro version. A free trial is available to download, but I can’t really recommend it until it is updated to work with the latest versions of QuickBooks for Windows.

Virtualization

Virtualization provides a way to create a virtual machine (VM) where another guest OS can run inside Mac OS X. In contrast to CrossOver, you are actually running Windows inside the VM.

There are three major virtualization packages – VMware Fusion, Parallels Desktop, and xVM Virtual Box. The convenience of these virtualization solutions is great because you still have access to all your Mac OS X applications and features while the virtual machine is running alongside your other Mac software. You can even hide the Windows desktop and only view the QuickBooks application window itself and use Exposé and all the other cool windowing features of OS X.

While, virtualization is not a good solution for 3D design software or computer games (as these types of software want to talk directly to the hardware rather than a virtual machine), it works great for QuickBooks and is the solution that I recommend to most users. Because you are essentially running two complete OS installs on one machine, it’s best to have at least 2GB of RAM.

One potential benefit of VMware Fusion or Parallels Desktop is that they both provide Windows software to convert the entire hard drive of your existing PC into a virtual machine file that you can use on your Mac. This is great if you have a nice, lean Windows install with only the files that you need to bring with you to the Mac. It’s not so great if your PC is having problems and Windows is not running well. You’ll bring all those problems with you when you create a new VM file. If QuickBooks is the only Windows software that you need to run, I would recommend a clean install of Windows, Anti-virus software, and QuickBooks in a brand new VM.

VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop are both $80 and free trials are available to download. xVM Virtual Box is a free solution supported by Sun Microsystems. Be sure to read TheAppleBlog’s take on VMware vs Parallels and our review of Virtual Box.

Remote Desktop Client

Another solution is to continue to run QuickBooks on a PC, but access it over the network from your Mac. Remote Desktop Client from Microsoft provides a simple way to remotely control a PC running Windows XP Pro or Vista Business or Ultimate and it works just like screen sharing in Mac OS X Leopard. The killer feature is local printing so you can make hard copies of QuickBooks reports using a printer that is connected to your Mac. This can be a great solution if you already have a PC running QuickBooks on a required version of Windows and you don’t want to spend any more money on virtualization software. You can still access your Mac applications and documents and transfer information back and forth between the remote PC and the Mac you are sitting at while you work. The downside is that it’s difficult to set up to use over the Internet if you travel away from the PC with a portable Mac. Remote Desktop Client is a free download.

Specific Scenarios

I need to run the multi-user version of QuickBooks.

OK. You definitely need QuickBooks for Windows. What I recommend here is buying a cheap PC and installing QuickBooks for Windows with the “Install Database Server Only” option. This PC will then host your multi-user company file(s) which you can access over your office network from other computers running QuickBooks for Windows. Now you just need to make sure that you put your backup plan in place for the company file(s) hosted on that PC. For licensing, the host computer does not count as a user if it is running in “Database Server Only” mode. Of course, if you already have a desktop PC that is running QuickBooks, you can make that the host by configuring multi-user mode. Just make sure that you leave it turned on with QuickBooks running.

As an alternative, if you already have Windows Small Business Server 2008 in your office, you could set up a second machine as a Terminal Services host and use RDC to open sessions on that machine. That way you don’t even need to install QuickBooks on each computer, just on the terminal services host machine.

I want to backup my QuickBooks data to Time Machine (or MobileMe).

One of the amazing features of Leopard is Time Machine. If you want Time Machine to grab a copy of your QuickBooks for Windows data, then I recommend you use virtualization and then configure QuickBooks to save a backup copy of your company file to a shared folder on the Mac side so it gets picked up by Time Machine. Incidentally, this also works if you are using Backup.app to make offsite copies of critical files in the cloud.

I already have Boot Camp setup and don’t want to spend more money.

Alright, alright. I won’t force you to switch to virtualization, but this is probably the only situation where I would use Boot Camp. You would have a lot more benefits with virtualization (flexibility, convenience, snapshots, accessibility of files in either environment, etc.), but I will let you keep the Boot Camp setup you have already made.

Recommendations

If you need or want to run the Windows version of QuickBooks from your Mac, each of these four methods will help you accomplish that goal. CrossOver is hard to recommend because it will not support the latest versions of QuickBooks. Remote Desktop Client works great if your PC is working fine and is sitting in the same office as your Mac. BootCamp is simple and straightforward and included with Leopard. One important consideration is that Intuit is more likely to support a BootCamp or Remote Desktop solution because you are running Windows natively, either on your Mac with BootCamp or on a PC using Remote Desktop.

Virtualization is by far the most convenient way to take advantage of the best of both worlds. However, support can be hard to come by because you are running an Intuit product in a Microsoft OS inside a 3rd party virtual machine on an Apple computer. That’s four companies that might all try to pass the buck when you have a problem or failure. That said, I’ve found virtualization to be stable, relatively fast, and easy to manage. I love that I can hide the Windows desktop and just look at the application that I need. When I don’t need that application, I can quit the VM and continue to enjoy all the merits of Mac OS X.

Frankly, isn’t running OS X why you bought a Mac in the first place? Now you can still get all your work done and play with the shiny new toys from that store with the ginormous glowing fruit sign. Ahhh, such sweet joy to have your cake and eat it too. Or at least your Mac and QuickBooks for Windows.

Since I recommend virtualization for most users, I have some tips and tricks for you to use that I will share with you. Be sure to come back tomorrow for another helping of advice on how to run QuickBooks for Windows effectively.

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Multi-user QuickBooks

If you have multiple people in your company that need access to QuickBooks (maybe AR, AP, controller, CFO or CEO) then you have to use the Windows version. The Mac version simply does not support multiple users. Period. You could also consider using the online version of QuickBooks, as long as you can live with the limited feature set.

QuickBooks Premier

QuickBooks Premier is really five industry-specific flavors of QuickBooks: Contractor, Manufacturing & Wholesale, Nonprofit, Professional Services, and Retail. If you need the extra features to support these industries, then you will only find them on Windows. Some of the features are pretty compelling, so I would recommend you take a hard, long look at the product description before you pass on Premier.

Inventory Assemblies

The big example that gets trotted out whenever this discussion comes up is the additional inventory tracking options in QuickBooks Premier. Specifically, you can create and track “assemblies” in Premier that consist of other items that are assembled to make a product. The benefit of assemblies is that you can track the components and either combine them into assemblies or break them apart into individual items for sale as needed and QuickBooks will still keep an accurate count of all your inventory, and help you prepare the correct invoices for these items.

QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition

If you are a CPA or an accountant for hire that supports several firms, then you have to get the Windows version. Intuit has a special version of QuickBooks Premier Account Edition available just for you that allows you to easily work with multiple companies and prepare all the reports and statements that your clients may need.

Payroll

Do not be misled here. Intuit gives a blanket warning about payroll to people considering switching to the Mac version. The real truth is that you cannot use Intuit’s Payroll Service that is fully integrated with the Windows version of their software. You can use QuickBooks Payroll for Mac to accomplish the same thing. However, if you are committed to Intuit’s service, you will want to stick with the Windows version of QuickBooks.

Merchant Services

QuickBooks for Windows allows you to process credit cards directly in the application. This feature is not available in the Mac version. If you are using Intuit’s Merchant Account Services, then you will want to stick with the Windows version.

Online Bill Pay and Funds Transfer

Again, this is a feature that is built in to the Windows version that is not available directly inside the Mac version of QuickBooks. There are a number of other ways to pay bills online through your bank’s website or CheckFree, etc. You just need to decide how much you like Intuit’s service and if you want the convenience of accessing this service and scheduling payments from QuickBooks itself (admittedly, a great convenience).

So Now What?

You have looked over the list and you have found that you had better keep using QuickBooks for Windows. Do not despair! The options for running the Windows version have increased significantly over the last couple years and it is fairly simple to do this from your Mac. Tomorrow, I will start a two-part series explaining the different options to run QuickBooks for Windows on your Mac. I can promise that one of those options will meet your needs and you will be able to keep the best of both worlds.

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QuickBooks for Mac is one of those products that feels like it is always teetering on the edge of disaster. The releases over the last five years have lagged far behind the Windows version, and Mac users have watched the gap widen over the last two years since QuickBooks Pro 2007 was released. New versions with significant features popped up on the Windows platform while Mac users watched from the sidelines with envy.

Just a couple months ago, Intuit showed a renewed commitment to the Mac platform by releasing QuickBooks 2009 with support for Leopard and a number of additions that help somewhat to close the distance with the Windows version. Feature parity is still a long ways away, but Intuit is displaying energy around the Mac this year that has been absent in the past. In fact, Ian Vacin, the Offering Leader for Mac Financial Sofware (basically, the guy in charge of delivering Mac software) assured me at Macworld Expo that they have been adding engineers to his group this year and the commitment at Intuit to developing for the Mac is stronger than ever.

All Your Financial Information in One Place

QuickBooks 2009 revamps the old interface to bring it more in line with the Windows version. New to the Mac scene is a “Home Page” that gives you an overview of your finances organized into a workflow of common activities. This view will be familiar to anyone coming from QuickBooks for Windows.

Another addition is the use of several company centers to organize information for different aspects of your business and a new company snapshot to provide a comprehensive overview of your financial health.

Integration with other Mac apps has improved as well. You can send reports by email more easily and sync calendar items and tasks with iCal too. One feature I really like is the automatic backup to the online MobileMe service. Good off-site backups of accounting files are really important for any business, and the combination of QuickBooks and Apple’s MobileMe service is brilliant. Another improvement is the ability to integrate directly with Xsilva’s Lightspeed Point-of-Sale solution.

The report center has a new Cover Flow mode where you can flip through previews of the various reports available from within QuickBooks.

If you need to share information with Windows users, you can share your company file with your accountant or CPA (even if they use the Windows version of QuickBooks) and then open up the file after they have made changes.

Core functionality does not seem to have changed too much, but the new Home Page, financial centers and company snapshot make it easier to find information on your business and reduce the number of clicks to get to information. In fact, a lot of UI items have new links to take you to frequently used functions in the software.

QuickBooks 2009 for Mac is $199.

Is QuickBooks 2009 Right for Me?

If you need integration with Lightspeed POS, then absolutely, you need to upgrade. For everyone else, QuickBooks 2009 is a nice facelift on 2007 that adds some nifty Leopard features. It is far easier to use, with lots of great usability enhancements that help you get to where you want to go much faster. That might be worth $199 to many of you. Some of you may prefer to wait and see what Intuit plans for 2010.

What if It’s Not Right for Me?

To continue this review of QuickBooks on the Mac, I will look at the upcoming release of QuickBooks Online, which adds Mac support, and when you might still want to run QuickBooks for Windows. We’ll go over the choices for how to run QuickBooks for Windows over the next few days. Be sure to come back tomorrow and look at why you might want to hold on to the Windows version even if you are switching to the Mac.

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