These products, along with the recently announced QuickBooks: Pro Edition 6.0 for Mac, Intuit® Payroll Services Complete Payroll HR Assistant and Intuit QuickBase, offer a range of solutions, including accounting and business management, for companies that range in size from 0 - 250 employees.

"By listening to and watching our customers go about their daily business, we're able to identify what their real pain points are. Solving these problems, truly their most important problems, is at the heart of the customer-driven innovation that has driven Intuit's product strategy for 20 years," said Dan Levin, senior vice president, QuickBooks Group. "We aren't interested in adding in features for features' sake. With our new 2004 line-up and all of our products and services, we are focused on the customers' needs first, adding in only new features that will truly translate into benefits. The demand for one-size fits all software will become a thing of the past."

The new 2004 line-up includes:

• QuickBooks Premier, Pro and Basic 2004
• QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions
• QuickBooks Online Edition
• QuickBooks: Pro Edition 6.0 for Mac
• QuickBooks: Premier Professional Services Edition 2004
• QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions: Professional Services Edition
• QuickBooks: Premier Manufacturing & Wholesale Edition 2004
• QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions: Manufacturing & Wholesale Edition
• QuickBooks: Premier Retail Edition 2004
• QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions: Retail Edition
• QuickBooks: Premier Accountant Edition 2004
• QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions: Accountant Edition
• QuickBooks Retail Management Software, Point of Sale Version 3.0.

In conjunction with Intuit's announcement, many third-party developers, all members of the Intuit Developer Network, are announcing new products or services separately available for purchase that integrate with QuickBooks 2004. Additional information about third-party applications and services that share data with QuickBooks 2004 products can be found on the QuickBooks Solutions Marketplace through http://www.quickbooks.com or directly at http://marketplace.intuit.com.

Raymond Boggs, vice president of Small/Medium Business Research at IDC, noted that SMBs are looking for more sophistication in their accounting solutions. "Small businesses aren't exactly putting on the green eye shades and devoting themselves to double-entry bookkeeping," Boggs noted, "But they are seeking solutions that more closely meet their specific needs. "Whether this means using standard industry terminology or strengthening critical capabilities, tailored accounting solutions let smaller firms do a better job at measuring performance and planning for the future."

New and Updated QuickBooks Products for Small Businesses and QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions Products for Growing Businesses:

• QuickBooks Financial Software: Premier, Pro and Basic 2004 — Intuit's comprehensive desktop financial management solution allows business owners to easily take control of their finances without the need to learn complicated accounting processes, in order to run their business more efficiently and be more productive. The 2004 product includes new features that save time, help businesses manage cash flow, and reduce errors. The New Business Checklist puts information about local, state and federal requirements into one easily accessible location. The new Cash Flow Projector tool allows small businesses to predict cash flow weeks in advance through an "available to spend" report. Small businesses can now control the exact prices or discounts they want to charge each customer for items, selecting from as many as 100 price levels. And QuickBooks Premier 2004 provides three new ways to manage important information: Loan Manager, Fixed Asset Tracker, and Vehicle Mileage Tracker.
• For Manufacturers and Wholesalers — QuickBooks: Manufacturing & Wholesale Editions 2004 are specifically designed to ease the pain of complicated billing and inventory issues to help manufacturers and wholesalers manage their finances more effectively, with focus on order management, simple inventory tracking, flexible pricing and manufacturer and wholesaler specific reporting. The products can track what customers have ordered, which items on each order have not shipped, and which customer orders are still open - all in one place. More than 10 customized reports created for manufacturers and wholesalers show important decision-making information in key business areas such as profitability, order management, sales volume, and purchasing.
• For Retailers — QuickBooks: Retail Editions 2004 are designed to help retailers overcome the burden of complicated sales and inventory tracking in their store, helping them to manage their finances more effectively. The products make it easier for retailers to track sales results all in one place, keep tabs on vendors, and create financial reports that provide insights on managing the business. Features include a daily sales form, 10 new retail-specific reports, the Expert Analysis Tool* tailored to 25 retail categories, and suggested ways to improve operations based on the retailer's own QuickBooks data.

  Compatible with the above: QuickBooks® Point of Sale Version 3.0, a complete, easy to use and affordable PC-based point of sale (POS) software application that addresses the need for a complete, affordable and easy to use point of sale system that helps retailers make smarter decisions about their business. QuickBooks Point of Sale handles key front-office, mission-critical work flows for small business retailers, including ringing up sales, processing payments and provides total inventory, sales and customer relationship management. The latest version allows retailers to purchase one of three levels that meets their needs, with the ability to unlock higher levels with a single phone call.

• For Professional Services — QuickBooks: Professional Services Editions 2004 ease the pain of tracking hourly billing and addresses financial management issues for professional services industries. Features include the ability to set up flexible billing rates by clients, alerts for outstanding time and expenses while creating new invoices, support the way professional services firms do business, and help to ensure payment for all billable work.
• For Accountants — QuickBooks®: Premier Accountant Edition 2004 and QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions: Accountant Edition create a great opportunity for accountants to win with their clients. Giving accountants additional ways to grow their practices, the products are designed with advanced accounting features and functionally, including new Fixed Asset Manager, Adjusted Trial Balance Report, Loan Manager, and Reconcile Discrepancy reports--to offer accountants the tools they need to more efficiently manage their clients' QuickBooks files. The new version now includes features, reports and forms from all QuickBooks 2004 financial software products.

  Also available is the QuickBooks® Financial Statement Reporter**, which helps eliminate the need to spend extra time formatting financial statements and allows accountants to easily create accurate and professional-looking statements for their QuickBooks clients — giving them a much more efficient way to handle a usually time-consuming and repetitive task. QuickBooks Financial Statement Reporter is an add-on product designed for accountants who are looking to create a complete set of financial statements from within QuickBooks.

New and Updated Services For "Beyond Accounting" Needs

• Intuit's UniPlan™ 401(k) plan, Section 125 Plans, and Pay Along the Way Workers' Compensation Service are new plans and services that make it easier for small business owners to administer employee benefits packages and stay in compliance with federal and state employment regulations.
• IT-specific business applications have also been added to QuickBase, Intuit's Web-based information management solution that combines database, groupware and business management features in a single service. The new IT applications include Project Portfolio Management, Defect and Request Tracking, Knowledge Base, and an Asset Manager. In addition to the new applications, Intuit has also made enhancements to the overall functionality and customization features of QuickBase with new reporting, cataloging and visualization features. For more information about QuickBase and to enroll in a 30-day trial, visit www.quickbase.com.

Pricing and Availability
For pricing and availability of all QuickBooks products, please go to www.quickbooks.com, or call 1-888-2-INTUIT. Information about QuickBase and IDN can be found at www.quickbase.com and www.developer.intuit.com, respectively.