Doesn't Microsoft have to unbundle Windows Media Player from it's standard distribution? Why is it okay to bundle Quicktime with the new Mac OS?
Am I missing something?
Anyways, Quicktime is a system component - NOT an application (like media player is). Various applications and services make use of it, and if you choose not to install it you do lose function in several things, but QT _is_ the media-handling component (video/audio/midi/etc) of the Mac OS and nobody has anything on the market that can replace it.