Microsoft has taken another step into its cloud computing future, revealing that it will no longer ship retail versions of its Money Plus personal finance package. Instead, the product will move to "100 percent online distribution" and will be updated when required, not on the previous schedule of once a year.
"Incremental updates to the software don't merit a new product every year," the Microsoft Money team wrote in a statement. "In response to our retail partners' needs, consumer behavior and business efficiencies, Microsoft is focusing distribution efforts for Microsoft Money Plus software online via download and discontinuing traditional box sales of the software at retail."
The statement notes that while boxed retail versions of software "won't be going away anytime soon," Microsoft is evolving its strategies to meet the changing needs of the market. That market, increasingly, is moving towards cloud computing solutions, or what Microsoft calls "Software + Services." "This move [to online distribution" means that retailers can provide more inventory of our products, but require less physical space to manage inventory."
While Microsoft Money has never had much success against its entrenched competitor Intuit, the product is a number solid two in that market. Moving it completely to the Web may solve some branding and marketing issues, and allow it to compete more efficiently with that rival product, which has been available online for years.
Microsoft may well be a solid number 2 in the US, but between them Intuit and Microsoft have abandoned their international customers.
Take us Brits - the most recent version of Microsoft Money avalable here was released in 2005. No announcement was made as to whether they'd discontinued the product, they just stopped making it.
As for Intuit? Well, Microsoft may be number 2 in the US, but in Europe they walked all over Intuit, who responded by simply getting out of the personal finance market alltogether.
So, that leaves us with NO decent personal financial management software, and I'm left trying to maintain my finances on good old fashioned paper.
So, when this 'cloud computing' future arrives, perhaps Microsoft could please remember that there is life for their home software /outside/ the US?
this is true of Canada too. there hasn't been an update since 2006, and there haven't been any small business versions of Money for Canadian customers, EVER - only one version: Standard Canadian Edition.
it'd be nice if they brought out Office Accounting for international customers too, because in Canada, the only relatively cheap options are Quickbooks and Simply Accounting. i'm currently using Quickbooks, but found the US version of Office Accounting easier to use, even though it wasn't designed for Canadian taxation or payroll. i may have to move up to Quickbooks Premium soon, because of the scale of manufacturing that i'm getting into....something i'm not looking forward to (the software, not the business growth).
XP
I am forced to use the US version as well - cmon StevieB show us CanIndians some lovin...
:(
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