Yes, I'm thinking this will at most result yet another N version that nobody will buy and will have 0 practical impact.

If the N version has almost no telemetry, then I bet there will be plenty of customers. Almost everyone I've talked to who is unwilling to use Win10 has mentioned the telemetry/privacy aspects.

The previous N versions only have no Windows Media Player --- something a lot of users either want or don't care about, so no wonder they weren't popular.

Nobody will buy it, because it will be unobtanium, just like the N version was.

If the standard version breaks the Dutch law then it should be impossible to sell it there. Everybody should be able to buy only this hypothetical N version.

I had no option but to get the N version of windows 7 when using MSDNAA as a student in the Netherlands (service that gives free windows to students).

I thought it was easy to obtain, but nobody actually wanted it!

Have you ever tried to obtain it? Have you ever seen it as an OEM version bundled with computers, or just a box?

The only time I've seen it was on the MSDN download page. Nowhere else.

"Nobody wanted it" was a dishonest statement. It was not available -> nobody bought it -> so nobody "wanted" it.

Listed right there next to the other editions in Stores which are required to sell it....

https://www.microsoft.com/en-cy/store/collections/windows