QuickBooks for the Mac 5.0 has been shipped within the last week. This has created a flurry of activity for accountants who are supporting clients who have chosen to upgrade to this new product. Most notably the question has surfaced numerous times: How do I work on the client data now that they are on the new version?
In the beginning - When version 4.0 was first released, life was good. Both versions were cross-platform which meant that as long as the Mac could read and write to PC diskettes (or the file was transferred electronically) the PC version could restore the file and back it up in Mac format.
Then came Y2K - It turned out the the Mac version was not Y2K compliant. In the process of working out the Y2K issues, the payroll processing was outsourced, the software itself updated, and the ability to transfer the data back and forth was no longer available. This was not the end of the world for accountants, because as long as the data was backed up onto PC diskettes (or transferred electronically) the data could be converted to a newer Windows version of QuickBooks.
The situation now - From what we know now from Intuit, the version 5.0 for the Mac will not be compatible with the Windows versions. The information being supplied, however, is that the remote access feature will work cross platform. I have not tested this yet to confirm or deny the ease with which this will happen. As new information becomes available, I will pass it along to you.
Help me please - If you have clients who have upgraded, and you have interfaced with them remotely, please drop me an e-mail to let me know how it went.
Update as of 1/23/03 - If you have clients who have upgraded, and you need to interface with them remotely the Remote Access feature IS NOT SUPPORTED on the Mac. We then corresponded with our contact at Intuit and said "Just to confirm, in my next newsletter I need to let my clients know that if their clients upgrade there is no way for the windows based accountant to access Mac 5.0 and change my professional profile to eliminate supporting the Mac product, right?" The quick reply back was "That is my understanding."
Update as of 1/28/03 - to see the feedback we received, visit the newsletter archive article.
Update 2005 - The ability to transfer information back and forth between the newer versions of QuickBooks for Windows and QuickBooks for the Mac has been addressed. For more information about the process or to have us help you when you run into challenges, visit our Mac page.
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Bonnie J. Nagayama, CPA (925-247-0100) has been featured by Intuit in their QuickBooks Advisor Spotlight and frequently teaches and consults on using QuickBooks to its maximum advantage. For a FREE weekly newsletter of QuickBooks tips and tricks, plus many free and low cost QuickBooks resources visit www.4luvofbiz.com.
