Macworld '08: Quicken Redux

by Chris Hardwick     Department: Technology

Anyone who uses Quicken for PC and then has had the unfortunate displeasure of switching to the Mac version feels an overwhelming sense of castration. Sometimes I feel like Intuit went out of its way to say, "Heeeey, suck it Mac User!"  The interface is dreadful, batch editing is a drag and many times I yell at the transaction download system like it was an under-achieving teenage son. You might imagine, therefore, that I was pleased to run into a guy in front of the main showroom handing out flyers for the Intuit booth and its brand new iteration of Quicken for Mac, which will be out this fall. Codenamed "Heathrow" but soon-to-be-named "Quicken Financial Life," Intuit has shown a bold leap into the refreshing waters of Lake Leopard. As sure as the contrivance of that last metaphor, look for a completely new iTunes-y UI with intuitive features and easily navigable data. 

The first major change I noticed was the look...QFL has optional cover flow for crapsake! Secondly, all of your accounts can be seamlessly integrated across multiple users. As I dug a little deeper I noticed that the Windows 3.1 notion of categories had been replaced with a tagging system, which led to my favorite new feature, THE TAG CLOUD. Intuit, how can you not be getting tired of blowing my mind?? This major undertaking was the reason that they neglected to release Quicken for Mac 2008, which I can only assume would have come with a middle finger on the box. 

I don't know what kind of fire ignited under their asses over there...perhaps it was the realization that the fractional global Mac market seems to be getting slightly less fractional, or maybe a mini asteroid collided with the Intuit building and extinguished the sauropods in the Mac department...but I don't care. As someone who uses Quicken EVERY DAY and had previously felt the kind of hopeless depression someone feels in a loveless marriage, this September release offers to pluck me from the doldrums of my bookkeeping ennui and make love to me on a pile of efficiency. I wholeheartedly recommend that they put Quicken Financial Life on an Oprah makeover episode entitled, "From Skeksis to Sexies!"

As a side note, I offered to Beta test it...I'll let you know how that goes. Below are some iPhone stealth shots:

click to enlarge

Tags: Macworld, Quicken, The Dark Crystal

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