Microsoft Plans New Windows Version in January

“ Microsoft Corp. will provide a stripped-down version of Windows from next month while it decides whether to appeal against a European Union court order, its general counsel said on Wednesday. The EU’s Court of First Instance earlier ordered Microsoft to carry out European Commission sanctions immediately.

“We need to focus on doing an excellent job with complying with today’s decision,” Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith said in a conference call with reporters.

Smith said a version of Windows without Windows Media Player audiovisual software would be available to major computer makers in January and to other customers in February.

The order can be appealed to the European Court of Justice but Smith said Microsoft had not yet decided whether to lodge an appeal. “