Apple surprised everyone this week by telling users that it would allow the old enemy - the Windows operating system - to run on its computers. 

But the revelation should not have been such a surprise, since two hackers managed to get Microsoft's Windows XP to boot on a new Intel-based Mac only days before.

For Apple diehards, however, the Boot Camp beta software was another stab in the back following the recent addition of Intel chips into the computers. 

"I don't know if this week has been a happy week for Mac purists," said Michael Silver, research vice president at Gartner. 

"But they don't have to run Windows if they don't want to; it doesn't really affect them and it's not targeted towards them."

However, once the realisation dawned that Macs could function as a PC, there was praise for Apple's decision from most quarters.

"If anything, it makes it better for Apple users because it gets more people into the Apple fold," said Silver.

Most analysts agreed that this was a chance for Apple to pull in users who had previously been worried about buying a non-Windows system.

"This is actually a huge opportunity for Apple," said Malte Nuhn, an analyst at Millward Brown Optimor. "The affect on Microsoft isn't nearly as clear cut. On balance, it looks like Apple stands to benefit significantly more than Microsoft."

David Bradshaw, principal analyst at Ovum, added: "This is a smart move from Apple. We would expect to see an uplift in Apple's market share, persuading some formerly reluctant switchers to buy Macs instead of PCs."