The end for Apple?

Arguments along the lines of 'Mac vs PC (which is better?)' will never be resolved.

However, if you really had to put your money where your mouth is even the most over-cautious punters will have noted with interest the details of a new PC release from Gateway this morning.

In releasing the Profile 4, Gateway is attempting to hit Apple where it hurts by launching a PC which bears more than a passing resemblance to the latest incarnation of the iMac.

With the playing field levelled in design terms the Mac suddenly looks even more vulnerable than it did before. While Gateway lacks the clout to hammer even a single nail into the Apple coffin, if the major PC manufacturers choose to follow suit then these could become worrying times for Jobs and co.

Many Mac users will never be convinced of the virtues of a PC and many will never be convinced Apple's strengths are not purely technical - despite phases of innovation which involved little more than the launch of a new range of coloured cases.

But Gateway knows this. PC manufacturers en masse know this and have largely given up on trying to convert this tiny minority but what Gateway has spotted is a very superficial weakness in Apple's strategy and it is looking to exploit it.

For all the glowing endorsements for Mac OS and the capabilities of Jobs' machines, there are a great many Mac users who would hold up their hands and admit they bought a Mac because of how it looks, however sad that may sound.

Apple's minority market share is not represented by the vast number of front desks worldwide which host a nice colourful iMac to brighten up the office - nor is it represented by the number of iMacs seen on TV sets or shop floor showrooms - and anywhere else where the notion of having a computer present is almost secondary to having something aesthetically pleasing.

For all the people who swear by Mac functionality there are those who would just as happily buy a PC if it looked as good - especially given they will almost certainly be cheaper initially and run more apps.

Of course, the truth is there will always be enough purists out there to keep Jobs from the poverty line but if Apple loses a significant share of the aesthetes it will definitely represent a further blow to his already diminished company.