Quickbooks has long been available as an online service, so it was only a matter of time before Quicken was migrated to this format. Currently in closed beta testing, Intuit is planning to open the beta to a waiting list on September 10.
Intuit is planning to release a Web-based edition of its leading
personal finance application this winter, possibly early in 2008.
Quicken Online marks a key transition for a company that has made its
bones selling new versions of its boxed software each year.
A few years ago, folks at Intuit told me they saw virtually no demand
for online tools. Last week, the company said it's taken so long to
cook up Quicken Online due to the lack of consumer trust. While it may
be common for those within the technobubbles of Silicon Valley and San
Francisco to opt for paperless billing, many millions more see managing
their money via the Internet as about as safe as dropping a wallet in a
mall.
We am still unconvinced about Web-based applications such as this or Google's Docs & Spreadsheets. It figures that Intuit would make security a selling point, but we're still not sure we want my financial info hanging on a server for hackers to have an opportunity to get. Additionally, we prefer the knowledge that if Comcast blows a fuse or something we still have our data on hand, instead of inaccessible.