Here comes QuickBooks Online!
Is QuickBooks Desktop software dead? Not right now, but the writing is on the wall: here comes QuickBooks Online.
Intuit’s recent announcement regarding its QuickBooks software for the Mac sends a strong message. Intuit recently announced there won’t be a 2018 version of QuickBooks for the Mac. It has already skipped 2017, and now 2018 for the Mac.
Keep in mind, Intuit has regularly released new software in the Fall of each year like clockwork.
What does this mean for Mac users? In the next few years, you should plan on moving to the Cloud (AKA: QuickBooks Online), or purchasing a Windows PC. If you purchase a Windows PC, you can purchase the latest edition of QuickBooks Pro, Premier, or Enterprise.
What does this mean for Windows PC users? You have a stay of execution. You have to remember, there is a huge user base that still use QuickBooks Desktop. Unofficial numbers estimate a user base to exceed 1 million desktop users. These existing users may be the last to ‘adopt’ the cloud platform. However, Intuit cannot afford to ignore them either. So, the Windows PC Desktop software will continue to live-on for the time being.
The Future: “QuickBooks Online”. The sales in QuickBooks Online has been growing like gangbusters. While the QuickBooks Desktop software should exist in some form, Intuit’s signal is clear. Its priority is to develop the features in the cloud based software: QuickBooks Online.
While it may take a few years for QuickBooks Online to “catch up” with the features in Desktop software, it’s only a matter of time at this point.
QuickBooks Enterprise Users? These folks will be last to migrate. Moving to the Cloud will primarily affect QuickBooks Pro and Premier users first. Users of QuickBooks Enterprise will probably get many more years of service than the former.
QuickBooks Enterprise is the most developed and feature rich. Therefore, getting those features to the cloud will require much more time.
Just like the Automobile brought freedom and mobility to the rural farmer, cloud-based applications will allow businesses the freedom and mobility to work anywhere. Stay tuned.
