Posted on Sunday, May 27 2007 @ 8:24 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Microsoft just made a few comments about the "EU version" of Windows Vista and says currently not a single PC manufacturer has chosen to license this software.
A senior Microsoft official said the company has had few takers for modified versions of its Windows operating systems built to conform to European competition requirements. David Heiner, Microsoft's deputy general counsel, said "not a single PC manufacturer has chosen to license" the special editions of its operating systems, which are available only in Europe.Source: EE Times.
The software, Windows XP N and Windows Vista N, lacks the Windows Media Player media playback software, which ordinarily is integrated into Microsoft's operating systems.
EU regulators ordered Microsoft to unbundle Media Player from some versions of Windows available for sale in Europe after charging that the bundling gave the company an unfair advantage over media player products created by third-party developers.
Microsoft, however, was allowed to offer standard editions of Windows for sale in Europe alongside the N editions, allowing consumers to choose between the two.
