...but not over here. Not yet, anyway. The software giant has been selling hardware for a long time, from the Microsoft Mouse of the early 1990s up to today's mice and keyboards and, of course, the Xbox 360. But it's never actually sold computers before.

That's going to change, with the launch of the IQ PC, which will retail for some 21,000 rupees in India (equivalent to around £260). It makes sense, in a way - the company has been trying to combat rampant software piracy in Asia for years, most recently with the launch of special cut-down cheaper editions of Windows (both XP and Vista) for Asian markets.

So what the IQ PC actually is is a copy of Windows with a PC attached to it - by selling the hardware direct, Microsoft ensures that each person who buys one is also buying a legitimate copy of Windows.

Will we see the equivalent of the IQ PC over here, then? Probably not, although it wouldn't be a surprise to see them pop up in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.