The Power of Mac

Is QuickBooks Pro 5 the New Accounting Leader?

- 2003.05.20 - Tip Jar

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Memory To Go Special: New 2008 iMac 2GB $42 / iMac Intel Core2 DUO & MacBook Pro 2GB $36 - 1GB $20. MacPro 8 Core Memory 4GB kit $154 / 2GB kit $94 -- Free shipping available.

Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.

OWC: Mercury Elite FW800/FW400/USB2/eSATA up to 2.0TB TOP-RATED Solutions offer High Performance, Reliable storage for all your data storage needs. 500GB $159.99, 750GB $199.99, 1.0TB from $299.99

Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.

New MacPro Memory 800Mhz With Apple Spec Heat Sink 2GB $88 / 4GB $138 / 8GB $274 - Click to Maximize your Macs...

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 I don't remember it seeming particularly outdated.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
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. LEM

Steve Watkins is the Vice President for Information Technology for a mid-sized bank and also an attorney. He has been a Mac user for about ten years. He has owned some PCs along the way - but always came back to the Mac. If you find Steve's's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.

Recent Practical Mac Articles

Links for the Day

Recent Content on Low End Mac

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Practical Mac articles copyright ©2001-08 by Steve Watkins. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2008 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, PowerBook, MacBook, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.


Have a question?
Ask an expert!

Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Best Used Macs
Video Cards
Email Lists
InfoMac's Low
End Mac Forum

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ
Abandonware
   Petition
Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
MacResQ
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link

Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We recommend Firefox for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox than any other browser.