Microsoft is weighing how much support it will offer in its upcoming Windows XP operating system for MP3s, a popular music format that competes with the company's own Windows Media technology. Test versions of the new operating system have alternately included and excluded an encoder, or "ripper," that would allow people to convert audio tracks from CDs to the MP3 format, according to Windows XP Product Manager Tom Lammel. A decision has not been made on whether a ripper will be included in the final version of Windows XP, which will be released in October. Even if the company does include an MP3 ripper, it is likely to be a version that does not produce high-quality copies because the cost would be prohibitive to the company, Lammel said.
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