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It believes that while the iPod halo effect is persuading some to ditch their PCs, the most significant barrier to switching is application incompatibility.

The research firm quizzed 255 students in the US, 44 per cent of whom said they would be more likely to buy a Mac if it was capable of running PC apps. The proportion who said they would definitely buy a Mac was 13.5 per cent. Without the support for Windows software the equivalent figures were 24.7 per cent and 1.8 per cent.

'If Windows applications, including games, can run on an Intel Mac as fast as they can on Windows, it would knock down arguably the most important barrier to switching,' analysts Charles Wolf and John Lynch argue. 'In our opinion, this new functionality would also overcome inertia. And for those who would probably like to try a Mac, but are deterred by what could be an expensive experiment if they discover that the Mac experience is not what they thought it would be, a dual operating system offers a form of insurance.'