Ever obsessed with statistics, an eTesting Labs study released by Microsoft today reveals that Windows Media Player for Windows XP launches three times faster than competing programs, starts playing an MP3 file 25 percent faster, and other rather insignificant speed comparisons. Of note to Mac users: “Windows XP is the only one of the tested products able to write to a CD at 8X speeds, and thus converts MP3 files to Redbook Audio and records them on an audio CD twice as fast as any other player tested.” Apple’s iTunes, of course, has no difficulty burning at 8x or at even faster speeds.