"Personally I am a fence sitter as to whether or not Jo Average understands Microsoft's question mark on security ... it surprises me that Microsoft bought GeCad over three years ago and had a hefty development team on this for several years and still released OneCare below the specs of McAfee, Symantec and Trend as Market leading - they came to market with something below what customers buy in the first tier market."

Independent security analyst James Turner said the traditional security vendors are already looking at alternate revenue streams because they know Microsoft is fed up with the "parasitic relationship".

Turner said the traditional antivirus vendors make their money by implying that Microsoft is not secure, undermining the market's confidence in Microsoft products - something the company is not going to take lying down.

"Microsoft isn't going to throw their hands in the air and resign themselves to that subtle attack - they're famously competitive," Turner said.

"It may take them some time, because Windows is a phenomenally sophisticated product, but Microsoft is committed to market success.