QuickBooks Pro 2009 for Mac Download

QuickBooks for Mac is one of those products that feels like it is always teetering on the edge of disaster. The releases over the last five years have lagged far behind the Windows version, and Mac users have watched the gap widen over the last two years since QuickBooks Pro 2007 was released. New versions with significant features popped up on the Windows platform while Mac users watched from the sidelines with envy.

Just a couple months ago, Intuit showed a renewed commitment to the Mac platform by releasing QuickBooks 2009 with support for Leopard and a number of additions that help somewhat to close the distance with the Windows version. Feature parity is still a long ways away, but Intuit is displaying energy around the Mac this year that has been absent in the past. In fact, Ian Vacin, the Offering Leader for Mac Financial Sofware (basically, the guy in charge of delivering Mac software) assured me at Macworld Expo that they have been adding engineers to his group this year and the commitment at Intuit to developing for the Mac is stronger than ever.

All Your Financial Information in One Place

QuickBooks 2009 revamps the old interface to bring it more in line with the Windows version. New to the Mac scene is a “Home Page” that gives you an overview of your finances organized into a workflow of common activities. This view will be familiar to anyone coming from QuickBooks for Windows.

Another addition is the use of several company centers to organize information for different aspects of your business and a new company snapshot to provide a comprehensive overview of your financial health.

Integration with other Mac apps has improved as well. You can send reports by email more easily and sync calendar items and tasks with iCal too. One feature I really like is the automatic backup to the online MobileMe service. Good off-site backups of accounting files are really important for any business, and the combination of QuickBooks and Apple’s MobileMe service is brilliant. Another improvement is the ability to integrate directly with Xsilva’s Lightspeed Point-of-Sale solution.

The report center has a new Cover Flow mode where you can flip through previews of the various reports available from within QuickBooks.