The multi-touch controls familiar to Apple iPhone users will be built-in to Microsoft's Windows 7.

Windows Touch will be a "first class way to interact with your PC alongside mouse and keyboard," said the firm.

Microsoft believes multi-touch PCs will become popular in retail, public spaces, on laptops and "kitchen PCs".

Some Windows machines already feature rudimentary touch input and Apple is also reportedly readying touch for Macs in its Snow Leopard update to OSX.

A small number of multi-touch PCs are already on the market, including the HP TouchSmart and the Dell Latitude XT, and Microsoft hopes Windows 7 will create a new ecosystem of devices that take advantage of touch.