Smith claims Macs are at fault for the incompatibility. He says the bank knew Mac users would have a problem using the service before the system's launch, though the fact was conveniently ignored during the Smile advertising campaign.

'We are unapologetically Java-based because only Java offers the level of security we need,' says Co-op spokesman David Smith. It says it trusts only Java to ensure online banking is kept hidden from prying eyes. Smile's owner, The Co-op Bank, puts the blame on flaws in the Mac version of Java - an internet operating system specifically designed to run on any computer. But a little investigation reveals the glitch is just the tip of an iceberg. Smile customer services say they 'are aware of the problem and are working to fix it'. Surf to the bank's secure web site on your Mac and all you'll get is a blank page. Two months after its launch Smile is still inaccessible to Mac users because of a software problem. The latest example of this exclusion is the internet bank .uk - the first in the UK to offer a current account. iMacs - all Macs for that matter - are second-class citizens when it comes to financial services on the internet. If you are one of the 1.35m people who bought an iMac in the past three months, congratulations, you've just joined a select group.

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