Can Google Gears single handedly destroy Microsoft egemony?

Looks like I'm not the only one thinking that Google Gears et similia should give some headaches to folks in Redmond.
Slate has a nice post on this. I totally agree that we're not just talking about web office:

Office isn't the only Microsoft hegemony that Google Gears could help destroy. One of the defining differences between Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux is the application lineup. [...] technologies like Gears render the operating system largely irrelevant. Remember the Milk couldn't care less whether it's running in Internet Explorer on Windows or in Firefox on a Mac. Neither could I, since it's exactly the same useful service on both platforms.