An eagle eyed reader spotted this gem hidden deep in the promotional bumf for Windows XP.

It shows an Apple Mac user staring perplexed at his machine. With good reason, for his Mac has just booted Microsoft Windows XP.

"Windows XP is designed to prevent problems..." runs the assuring blurb. "But if you do encounter an obstacle, Windows XP gives you tools that enable you to help yourself".

Perhaps by giving the user the option to return to the familiar MacOS - which is all God, and Steve Jobs, ever intended the machine to run. Actually in the pursuit of accuracy, we must point out that the Mac pictured here looks like an 7/8000 series pre-G3 tower - the noisiest Mac Apple ever made until the recently-introduced "QuickHoover" G4. And it could run the PowerPC version of BeOS or Linux. But never, unless we've missed some secret parallel computer history, Microsoft WinXP.

Viral marketing, anyone? ®