Should I worry?

A typical comment about Q2007 is (and I quote from a website:) "Quicken 2007 concentrates on making existing features easier to use, which makes sense because Quicken is already packed with features. "

Which leaves me to wonder....

This version seems to be the least changed in all the ones I've seen - and I've been a Quicken user since about 1989 in the good ole' DOS days...

What will happen when Intuit realizes (if either it hasn't happened or they haven't already) that Quicken has matured to the point that there's no compelling reason (other than subscription fees perhaps to avoid downloading transactions/quotes/etc.) for people to "upgrade" due to lack of functionality? I am just not sure, looking back at what the package contains for 2007, that I'd go out and buy it again so quickily- as the reviewer sez, not much has changed, functionality-wise.

Will Intuit abandon the product? Where will that leave us? Man, I don't want to convert to another program! Maybe some entrepreneur will buy the franchise?

Opinions?? I'm losing sleep....

Reply to
Andrew
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Well, I don't see why they would abandon the product. But you do raise an interesting point. From the user's perspective, it would make more sense for Intuit to abandon the yearly update and simply bring out a new product whenever advances merit it. MS went to Windows 95, then 98. There are some versions that are labeled

2003 (server software), not to mention MS Office 2003. But you'll also note that they've dropped the year designation and now have XP and Vista instead. Maybe Quicken ought to concentrate on making a better product, coming up with a fancy name for it when it's improved (Quicken Xtreme!) and only releasing it when the new product is advanced enough to generate some market buzz. Hell, even if they charged $5 or $10 more for it, I'll bet most users will be willing to pay the extra bucks, especially if they're buying a new version every 18 months or so, instead of every 12.

Another option would be to combine Quicken and Turbotax into one product and release it whenever the tax product is ready. Then, even if the advances in Quicken are minimal, at least users know they're paying for the current tax product.

Reply to
DP

It would really help if they could concentrate on not breaking existing functionality with each release. They break more and more junk each time I upgrade, but add nothing but neater ways to enter the same data.

There is a lot of room for growth in Quicken. I'm not talking about product maturity, quality, but in raw features. I wouldn't worry about them running out of new stuff to do, I would worry about them actually trying to do it in a reasonably competent fashion. Let's ask them to stop breaking features with each release.

I contacted tech support about a problem I have. After fully explaining the situation the best solution they gave me was to start all over with a new Quicken file set and enter all my data by hand again. Not acceptable. That should never be the answer. Yet it was because they break more stuff than they fix/upgrade with each release. They broke key functionality and have no way to get back to what used to work. I have hidden data that I cannot get to, but it's there fudging things up. WHY?! It's not that hard to do regression testing.

SO anyway.. don't worry about them running out of positive work to do. Between fixing things that used to work, and new features they haven't even begun to explore, they will be around for a very long time slowly enticing us with new features, fixes, and the more fequent broken capability that used to work.

Reply to
Scott Lindner

Maybe that'll be a future version's selling point... "WORKS LIKE IT USED TO!"

Notan

Reply to
Notan

Q98 in a Q08 box?

I love the program, but they are focusing so heavily on UI enhancements to make it easier to adjust the same capabilities that have always been there that they removed some UI functionality required to undo the harm my dataset is in. Thankfully it isn't too big of a deal, but it still pisses me off that I can't use a feature because of hidden data I can't get at.

Reply to
Scott Lindner

Intuit is the clear market leader in personal finance software. They will always think of new things to add. Plus Congress passes laws all the time that would effect Quicken and Turbo Tax. Have no fear. Intuit would never dump the one product that made them so rich in the first place.

Now from the soap box ..... If people find software they like then they should be willing to upgrade it for money. Sometimes it looks like people are simply trying to figure out how to use Quicken and not pay for it or never upgrade to save a buck. When I find good software (even shareware) that I like I always buy the pro version just to help them out. Roboforms is a good example. I upgrade Quicken every year for two main reasons. One is that I like the upgrades they put out even if it is "eye candy". Two is Intuit deserves to make a profit on such a great product. We can all bitch about this that and the other with Quicken but lets face it. If they said that's it we're taking it off the market (which they won't) we'd all crap in our pants big time. To me it's about managing money and not how much I can squeeze out of a software company that is in business to make money. I saw Quicken

2007 H&B at Costco this week for something like $60. My utility bills so far this month are over $800. $60 is nothing. Quicken is to me the best bargain in the software business. It is not a crime for the maker of software to earn a profit. Ok I'll shut up now.
Reply to
Don

Good point. However, I would not go so far as to say "$60 is nothing." Because for a lot of people, it IS something. I can afford $60 a year and you have opened my eyes to something I hadn't thought of before. I will be much more willing to pay $40, $50, $60 bucks for an upgrade in the future. Howeverr, I think I will wait a little while for the kinks to get worked out of 2007 before I jump in. But I would not go so far as to say $60 is nothing for every Quicken user.

Reply to
DP

You also make a good point. $60/year may be something for some. But if it is I wonder how they afford a computer and a monthly internet connection bill.

Reply to
Don

It's a matter of principal and priorities.

If Intuit was to actually make valuable changes to their product, I'd have no problem updating. But, for the most part, they don't. And, consequently, I do.

If $60 really means nothing to you, how come you're not sending me a yearly check?

Notan

Reply to
Notan

What would a "valuable change" be for you?

Never said $60 dollars means nothing to me. I said $60/year is nothing .... meaning this is not a lot of money. Sorry but $5/month is cheap for something this valuable.

Reply to
Don

"Sorry but $5/month is cheap for something this valuable."

OK, let me turn it around...

What changes have been made that warrant an upgrade?

Notan

Reply to
Notan

I upgrade each year. So what I perceive as "worth the upgrade" are obviously quite different than your perception. My original point in all this is if you like the software and depend on it a lot then upgrading benefits you and the company. That's all.

Reply to
Don

Notan:

My situation makes upgrading to Q2007H&B a no-brainer.

Q2006PH&B had a limit of about 10 Financial Institutions, 20 User IDs, 46 unique accounts, roughly speaking.

Trying to do any more than that would lock up Q2006. (See my threads in the Quicken Support Forum)

I resorted to doing my most active Direct Connect accounts with daily AM Scheduled Updates.

I would then do One Step Updates to pick up the extra Direct Connect accounts.

With Q2007H&B, not only can I schedule all 13 FIs that use Direct Connect, I've also been able to add 5 FIs using Express Web Connect.

So, now my daily Scheduled Update picks up 18 FIs, 40 User IDs, and 56 unique accounts.

But, that's just my situation ;-)

Bob

OK, let me turn it around...

What changes have been made that warrant an upgrade?

Notan

Reply to
Bob Wang

I guess what bothers me is not the true improvements, but "improvements" such as the need for higher screen resolutions. As I said in another thread, that's just poor programming.

What also bothers me, and this is probably going OT, is Intuit's method of "forcing" one to upgrade, i.e., sunsetting.

This is the only product I've ever come across that ACTIVELY removes the ability to use older programs, forcing one to upgrade to newer versions, just to do what the older programs did!

Notan

Reply to
Notan

Oracle does this. Microsoft does this with many of its products. Every major software company I've worked for does this. Why should they provide support for old out dated releases. Especially when you don't pay a yearly maintenance fee. I think you expect too much.

Reply to
Don

I'm not asking for support, I'm asking that they not REMOVE functionality.

There's a difference.

Notan

Reply to
Notan

Software is like life. You can't please everyone all the time.

Reply to
Don

On that, we agree.

Notan

Reply to
Notan

Well, think of it as the straw that broke the camel's back philosophy. Who know what other costs people may be incurring. They may be able to stretch just a little to afford a computer and the internet. Stretching out another $60 basically as a "maintenance fee" to Intuit may be stretching things a little too far in their case; a payment they may decide they don't want to make.

Let's say my out-of-work neighbor tells me that for $60 a year he promises he will change my flat tire if I wake up one morning I find out I have one. He also promises to fix the flat and have it ready to put in my trunk or back on my car when I get home from work. I have no doubt he will be able to live up to what he promises. Would that be a useful use of 60 of my dollars? As you go up the salary scale, you may find people more willing to pay that amount. I.e., the more money you make, the less $60 seems to you and the more you are willing to pay it to someone just to insure that if the time comes he will be there to save you from a dirty task. I think that is germane to this discussion. If we're only talking about paying $60 a year to Intuit to make sure they stay alive as a business (the given here is that the yearly changes arent really big enough to make us want to buy the product; we're only shelling out the money to help out Intuit), as you slide down the economic scale, you will eventually hit a point where the cost-benefit of the $60 becomes too high.

Reply to
DP

The answer to your question is competition: Microsoft Money! If there were no competition, I doubt Intuit would have improve their product as much as they have since I started using it in 1985. I agree there have not been a lot of "new features" but there are always some and they have to keep up with Micro$oft. Craig

Reply to
Craig Futterman

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