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But what does this all mean for us? For Rock customers, it's clearly a time of uncertainty. Thankfully, Rock's warranties are insured, so those should be serviced - though by whom and how remains to be disclosed. Likewise, anyone who has a machine in for service with the company now will have an anxious wait to see when their notebook might be returned.

In a wider sense, though, whenever a company goes to the wall like this it's never good news for the consumer or the industry, even if the company in question intends to fulfil warranties as Rock does. Confidence, due to the increasing cost of living, credit crunch and general anxiety, is in short supply and it is companies like Rock that stand to lose the most. Credit, as Rock doubtless found out, is harder to come by now as a similarly named bank found out.

Unlike Northern Rock, however, companies like Rock, Evesham and any other small independents can't count on the government to bail them out of their travails; it was even a government move that was the catalyst for Evesham's troubles. It goes without saying, too, that any uncertainty about a company's liquidity will impact consumer confidence in them and only lead to further problems.

This is symptomatic of a wider problem for the UK's PC industry. No one it seems, however well established, is safe and if other companies begin to struggle, nobody will blame consumers for running to the likes of the Dell or HP, whose size provides a genuine sense of security. And, when you consider the tight margins the majority of PC builders work under, it's hard to believe there aren't a few other Eveshams or Rocks waiting around the corner.

It's these problems that led to end of the infamous 90's PC boom in the UK, where a large number of small PC manufacturers went to the wall as prices were driven to ridiculously low levels. Companies like Panrix, Carrera, Redbox and Dotlink, went by the wayside - as did Tiny, Time and a number of other well known brands. What's left now are the companies that survived this blitzkrieg and market conditions are clearly still very challenging. One can only hope there isn't more bad news to come.

Will you continue to support the UK PC industry? Let us know in the forums.

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