"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," reports AP.
"And that raises questions over the effectiveness of the media player component of the antitrust ruling."
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.
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.
Comment: No surprises there. The Reduced Media version of Windows XP -- aka the Mario Monti Special Edition -- no doubt cost Microsoft millions to produce in multiple languages, and increases costs for any PC company supplying it, while delivering negative benefits to consumers. This makes the EU look clueless and stupid, of course, but the EU is used to that....
