Concurrence, not footprint made EU drive MS to multi browser choice!
"I've yet to see a news story saying that the EU or whatever have made Apple offer a similar choice to all the iSheep who buy their shiny toys..."
I believe you've missed the point why EU interfered with MS practice in the first place. It was due to the 90% - 95% market share - of both the operating system and the web browser market. It was never done to get a slimmer system. It was done to get the extreme situation with WinZilla not hurt the other browser makers. And to the benefit of the users.
In Mac OS X you can chose a web browser. It is essential in any case to have an internet connection if the browser issue arises. With the very same internet connection you would get your favorite browser. You can't get rid of Safari, or perhaps you can by throwing it away, I don't know? The amount of saved disk space would be insignificant so there is very little reason. Today a modern desktop system is typically crammed with software out of which some stuff you never going to use. Consider Safari as belonging to that group and you won't suffer any more than what the apache web server for instance do to you if that was something you wouldn't use.
OS X is already factory trimmed, that was the major thing with the last major release 10.6, and every OS X version from 10.0 to the latest has been not smaller as in GB (except for 10.6 that is) but of better performance. Like the Vista to 7 upgrade, performance wise, 6 times in a row. The bloat issue isn't really an issue on OS X for most users and there are certainly not hurting any browser makers particularly much.
While they are at it, couldn't Microsoft beat the OEM's crap with an attractive price? Or by actively promote the early adopter by some article about how cool them trimmed PC's really are?
I take the opportunity to give Google credit for voluntarily give the Chrome users the initial choice of search engines when during first launch. The know they aren't that far away from being as big on search as Microsoft are on the desktop. How long if ever will it take until Microsoft act in such a way as to demonstrate the same amount of courage and show the users as well as its competitor that kind of respect?