Maybe depends on how they though it would play out in the media. Unfortunately the whole opt-in vs. opt-out is too complicated to be explained in most reporting. Google might have worried that not respecting Do Not Track for IE could be interpreted as an Anti-Mircrosft move that would run afoul of monopoly law.

> Unfortunately the whole opt-in vs. opt-out is too complicated to be explained in most reporting.

Is it really? Let me try:

You're going down the street while eating some cookies, and suddenly you meet a friend.

Opt-in: A friend sees your cookies, and asks, "Can I have one?"

Opt-out: A friend starts taking and eating your cookies, and says, "Tell me if you want me to stop."

Their eschewing of this obvious move paints a picture of their respect towards web users.

End users are worse off than had the chosen "the obvious move" so I don't know about that.