PC sellers pass on Windows XP WMPless

[Ace Pace]

PC makers, distributors pass on Windows XP N

Friday, June 24, 2005; Posted: 1:28 p.m. EDT (17:28 GMT)

Microsoft's new operating system Windows XP N requires consumers to choose their media player and download it from the Internet.

PARIS, France (AP) -- PC makers and distributors are holding back from buying the new alternative version of Windows XP that Europe's competition commissioner ordered Microsoft Corp. to offer as part of the punishment in the software maker's long antitrust battle with the European Union.

Windows XP N was released to distributors last week in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish and will be available to the public in the next few weeks. Versions in 10 additional languages will be released in July.

The world's largest software maker had to change its Windows operating system after EU antitrust regulators ruled last year that it abusively wielded its Windows monopoly and locked out competitors. Microsoft was fined a record euro497 million ($608 million).

But computer distributors and manufacturers are so far showing little interest in the new product, which compels consumers to choose their media player and download it from the Internet.

And that raises questions over the effectiveness of the media player component of the antitrust ruling.

"We don't see any interest at all in the product for the consumer," said Lionel Jarlan, computer buyer at France's Fnac department store chain. Fnac will be testing the product in a limited range of stores. They are expecting a first delivery at the beginning of July.

Many stores say they will not bother stocking the product.

"We'll continue to sell the old version because it's obviously better value for our customers," said Gina Jones, spokeswoman for PC World, Britain's leading PC retailer.

Microsoft is offering Windows XP N for the same price as the standard version of Windows XP.

Spanish online computer store Publinet has not ordered the product.

"We'll first see how it sells. I heard that this version would be cheaper," said Jose Cabeza, technical director for Publinet. "If it isn't, logically the market will decide about it. I don't see why a client on the street would choose a lesser product."

Several PC makers said they had no plans to install the new version of Windows XP because they did not expect a demand for it.

"This comes down to resources in terms of changing over as well as little evidence from consumers asking for 'N' specifically," said Ken Chan, portables product manager for Toshiba.

Sony and Dell said they did not intend to install the new product in their computers.

"From our experience, customers purchasing computers expect them to come equipped with the capability of playing back digital media files," said Dell spokesman Liem Nguyen.

Changes to the version of Windows XP without Media Player came after EU regulators were not convinced the Windows version the company was forced to produce without Media Player was technically up to standard.

Microsoft and the EU are still negotiating its compliance with another EU order -- that the company share Windows' source code with competitors who make server software so their products can better communicate with Windows-powered computers.

The EU can fine Microsoft up to 5 percent of its daily global sales for each day that a decision is not applied to the EU's satisfaction.

Microsoft initially wanted to call the new version of its consumer operating system "Windows XP Reduced Media Edition" but EU regulators said that name would discourage sales.

"We have made these products available to our standard distribution channels, as the EU commission outlined. Now its up to computer manufacturers, distributors and customers to decide whether to order the product," said Derek Delmartino, spokesman for Microsoft in Brussels. Sales could not be calculated for at least a month, he added.

Software buyers said clients for the new product would have to be extremely well-informed.

"I think they'll be a minority of clients, maybe product developers, but a minority who will buy the product," said Stefan Decque, a software buyer at Surcouf computer store in Paris.

Jarlan pointed out that it is easy to uninstall Media Player from the complete version of Windows XP if clients want to avoid it.

"It's a militant act for a customer to buy the new version," he said.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[Xon]

Oh what a suprise, people dont want to use a crippled product when the full thing is the same price!

[Darth Wong]

That was a stupid remedy. They should have ordered Microsoft to pre-bundle free competing media players alongside their own. It's not unprecedented; Bell was forced to allow competing telcos access to its lines and switches as part of its antitrust settlement.

[Xon]

Microsoft offered to bundle competing media players on a cd with every install of windows, but the EU rejected that.

[Darth Wong]

Microsoft offered to bundle competing media players on a cd with every install of windows, but the EU rejected that.

I wonder why. The first thing that comes to mind is the possibility that Microsoft would just bury it on the CD rather than installing it by default, knowing that almost nobody actually browses the CD looking for extra software.

[Xon]

Microsoft offered to bundle competing media players on a cd with every install of windows, but the EU rejected that.

I wonder why.

I think it was the critisim that Windows Media Player was embedded into the OS and they were very unclear of what they considered Windows Media player and the plumbing for it.

The actual bit for WMP which plays music & videos is a simple wrapper around DirectSound/Music anyway. The media library part is really the only major chuck of WMP which is not a wrapper over something biult into the OS long long ago.

• Ripping from a CD? Thats some simple encoding with some low level CD reading.
• Sync between portable media players? Some basic OS grunt work listening for those things being plugged into a USB port and then copy operations.
• Burning play lists to CD? Again simple trans-coding (done by the DirectX layer IIRC), and Music CD burning is biult into Windows XP anyway.
• Guide, online website. Any idiot with a browser can look at it.
• Localized streaming radio? Any idiot with a client to read those can get them.

The WMP codec simply use the codec framework, and get updated via windows update anyway (as non-critical updates, which WMP is also offered as...).

So when their removed "Windows Media player", the WMP codec were stripped and the WMP exe disappeared. The plumbing for everything was still there, and all that was really done was remove the WMP GUI(with potentially breaking changes for anything which uses WMP API calls).

There was also some bitching from the EU when they wondered why an Word Document with an embedded avi file didnt play with WMP removed, but that should tell you something about them

WMP is really nothign for this settlement. This EU judgement is forcing open a bunch of the protocals which Microsoft uses, that is the big thing this judgement has caused. Stripping WMP from Windows is just really shitty windows dressing(pun not intended!).

The first thing that comes to mind is the possibility that Microsoft would just bury it on the CD rather than installing it by default, knowing that almost nobody actually browses the CD looking for extra software.

While it was on an extra cd, this is mostly for the OEMs anyway. Never fucking mind the OEMs can put any media player they want on anyway!


:edit: I say "windows" way too many times in this post

[Praxis]

Microsoft offered to bundle competing media players on a cd with every install of windows, but the EU rejected that.

Really? Why's that? It would seem the best solution to me; just have iTunes/Quicktime, RealPlayer, and anything else they can think of included as an option on the install disk, and have Windows Media Player an option as well but NOT checked by default, and anything not checked is not installed on the drive at all.

[EmperorMing]

Microsoft offered to bundle competing media players on a cd with every install of windows, but the EU rejected that.

Really? Why's that? It would seem the best solution to me; just have iTunes/Quicktime, RealPlayer, and anything else they can think of included as an option on the install disk, and have Windows Media Player an option as well but NOT checked by default, and anything not checked is not installed on the drive at all.

Because with some people you would have to have it install automatically or they would never think to go looking for the alternative palyer on the disk.

Sometimes you have to put it right in front of their noses, and even then they may not know what it is...

[Praxis]

That's what I meant. When it goes through the initial setup process when you first boot up the computer, it should ask you which you want installed. Not that its hidden on the disk, but that you are specificly asked it before installation is completed.