No More Plain Vanilla Windows XP in South Korea

Microsoft is said to be readying a total of four new versions of Windows XP for the South Korean market, in order to comply with an antitrust against the company there. There will be versions of XP Home Edition and XP Professional Edition that remove Windows Media Player and Windows Messenger. There also will be versions of XP Home and XP Professional that include links to a Web page where users will find downloads of rival instant-messaging programs, according to a Reuters story, citing an unnamed Microsoft company source. This line got us though: “‘The impact will be minimal. The only notable difference is that Microsoft won’t be able to sell the old Windows XP from tomorrow (in South Korea),’ said another source close to the company.” Minimal? Maybe the Softies are expecting Vista to immediately supplant XP sales in South Korea, which is among Microsoft’s top ten markets?