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LittleBastad · Apr 9, 2007, 04:16 PM

I wasn't sure if this belonged in the iMac forum or here in applications, so I apologize if I've misplaced it.

My computer crashed and crashed hard over the weekend, so my wife and I are looking into buying an iMac. I'm wondering if Quicken is pre-installed on new iMacs. I just took a look at a display model in the local campus computer store, and it had Quicken installed on it. I've seen a few blog posts and articles across the Internet that have led me to believe the application is installed on new iMacs, but I can't find any proof of that on Apple's website or through their Live Help in the online store.

Anyone have any idea?

peeb · Apr 9, 2007, 04:32 PM

You should ask the vendor you intend to buy from - sometimes the free bundled software changes, and sometimes the vendor will bundle software.

LittleBastad · Apr 9, 2007, 04:46 PM

Thanks, peeb. I wasn't sure if it was a standard thing or if it was vendor-specific. I'll be sure to ask when we go to make the purchase.

brokenjago · Apr 9, 2007, 05:41 PM

When I worked at Fry's (up until 1/23/07) all the display iMacs came with Quicken 06 preinstalled.

Peter · Apr 9, 2007, 06:41 PM

full version or trial? interesting.

brokenjago · Apr 9, 2007, 06:50 PM

Full version.

They also came with Big Bang Board Games and OmniOutliner.

peeb · Apr 9, 2007, 08:27 PM

I bought from Amazon, and got OmniOutline and OmniGraffle and that dinosaur game 2.

brokenjago · Apr 9, 2007, 10:28 PM

Those were on the PowerPC Macintosh, right?

mac128k-1984 · Apr 10, 2007, 07:45 AM

My Macbook had quicken preisntalled but after looking at the hardware specs and the store, it lists applications other then quicken. I wouldn't be surprised if new imacs do not have quicken preinstalled.

The easiest way to confirm it, is to ask them either by phone or at the apple store.

LittleBastad · Apr 10, 2007, 08:58 AM

Thanks, everyone. I'm hoping to have the money situation figured out by the weekend, but I'm not counting on it. So it may not be until next week or the week after that I get to make the purchase. And that really sucks. Being without a computer at home is a real drag, especially when I usually work from home twice a week.

But I will be sure to ask them at the store whether or not Quicken is on the machine. If it is on the machine, and we don't have to buy it separately, then I may have the money to plunk down on a copy of Parallels, which I would also really like to get.

peeb · Apr 10, 2007, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by brokenjago

Those were on the PowerPC Macintosh, right?

Yes.

mishakim · Apr 10, 2007, 03:48 PM

your post doesn't say whether you are coming from a PC or another mac, but I assume PC as you aren't asking about transfering Quicken from your old computer. If that's the case, you should know that Quicken for mac is a completely different product from the windows version, and it isn't as good. If you already have Quicken for windows, you should spend your money on parallels and stick with the windows version. Not only is it just plain a better product (despite being a windows program), you won't have the problem of many banks not having mac-quicken support.

ph0ust · Apr 10, 2007, 05:25 PM

intuit is really stupid when it comes to this. a common file format would not only make it easier for banks to integrate with quicken (and anything else too if the file format were open) it wouldn't create such differences in their own products. i still can't believe that so many major banks simply don't work well with quicken. i still use it.... but it is damn annoying.

jasong · Apr 10, 2007, 07:40 PM

While Quicken for Windows is better than its Mac counterpart, I wouldn't say Quicken for Mac sucks. If your bank supports online banking with the Mac version, I would use the Mac version just for consistency sake. If you have a backup of your Quicken for Windows file, you can send it to Intuit for conversion to the Mac version (I believe this is free, but read the disclaimer as some Windows features have no Mac counterpart).

As for whether or not new Macs come with it, if they do include a full version, it will be Quicken '06 and not '07. Personally I find the ability to download my 401k info and the paychecks feature to be worth the upgrade (of course I'm a beta tester so I haven't bought Quicken in years).

Anyway, good luck with the Mac.

brokenjago · Apr 10, 2007, 07:55 PM

Hey, I remember you! You're the guy that posted a while back about your computer dying and getting the money together to get an iMac?

Finally died for real, huh?

Sucks. I'm sorry.

LittleBastad · Apr 11, 2007, 07:56 AM

Yeah, I'm the guy that posted a while back about my computer dying. And now it's dead. And yes, it does suck. But I'm dealing with it surprisingly well, even after four days at home without any computer at all. We're hoping to have the money situation sorted out sometime in the next couple of weeks. Until then, I'm stuck with trying to do personal stuff on my work computer during breaks and lunches.

Thanks for all the advice on Quicken for Windows vs. Quicken for Mac. We don't use any of the advanced features like connecting directly to the bank, so an older version will work just fine for us. We may even stick with the Windows version we have so that we can afford Parallels, because I just figured out that I probably won't be able to use Boot Camp to boot Windows for work since my Windows XP CD is an upgrade disc and not a full version.

I've never had any experience with Parallels. Is it any good as a product? All the publicity seems to say so, but I wondered what the average user thinks.