‘Microsoft plans to remove Internet Explorer from the versions of Windows 7 that it ships in Europe … Reacting to antitrust concerns expressed by European regulators, Microsoft plans to offer a version in Europe that has the browser removed. Computer makers would then have the option to add the browser back in, ship another browser or ship multiple browsers, according to a confidential memo that was sent to PC makers…” - CNET.com

Could this be the beginning of the end for Microsoft’s bundled applications?

Unlikely - but it does spell a major shift in the dynamic of the internet browser market. It can only lead us to believe that Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Opera will be giving IE a run for its money in the near future.

Whilst great news for many European anti-trust activists, this probably does not bode well for the Bing.com development team. A large contributor of traffic for the old MSN.com was its privilege as being the default search engine for IE.

It appears that Microsoft is struggling to maintain its strength as a software conglomerate, but is making up for this with emerging technology in the field of web development (i.e. Bing.com)