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"Manufacturers need to find better ways to differentiate," said Nadine Kano, director of experience marketing for Microsoft. "There's now a real focus on style."

The company claimed that the trend for style has really taken off in the last year, with products like ASUS's Lamborghini and Sony's VAIO TZ laptops proving that consumers will pay extra for style.

This push could be seen as a direct response to Apple's products, where people often buy them for lifestyle reasons, rather than because of what they do. Kano

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is positive that PCs can compete.

"There's a certain group of people that love Apple products," she said, " but in Windows PCs, there's a lot more choice."

With big manufacturers, including HP and Dell, putting significant amounts of money into new manufacturing techniques, such as custom paint jobs, there's a real concern that smaller, local manufacturers will be unable to compete. Their business is usually based on buying standard chassis, and selling on price and specifications, rather than creating unique designs. With the bigger manufacturers already squeezing them on price, this could be a potentially devastating blow for UK manufacturers.

Kano believes that there's opportunity out there for all companies, though.

"This is the internet age, if a company makes a niche product that's cool enough, then someone will buy it," she said.

Microsoft believes that in the future all laptops, to some degree or another, will be built to be stylish and desirable, as will desktops designed for use out of an office, but the traditional computer is here to stay.

"There will always be a part where people want to be economical," said Kano, "and the traditional desktop PC is here."

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