Outlook 2010 performance much slower than 2007 and 2003 when used with POP3 mail provider over slow network connection

Question

When received messages include embedded pictures, Outlook 2010 does not persist those pictures in the .pst file with the message text.  Instead, it redownloads the pictures every time the message is rendered for viewing or printing.
Send/Receive to replicate a message with multiple embedded pictures from POP3 mail server (not Exchange server)
Select and view the message - notice all the x placeholders for the embedded pictures
Right-click any x placeholder and select to "download pictures"
After some delay, the pictures are rendered, replacing the placeholders, to form the complete message
Now, select "File" and "Print" -- notice that the preview is not immediately displayed.  There is a delay while thos same embedded pictures are downloaded, again.  Sometimes there will be a pop-up notification that Outlook is "communicating with
the server"
Eventually the message is fully rendered with all embedded pictures
Now, select a different printer -- notice that the preview disappears and it takes time to .... yes, redownload those same pictures, again.
Finally, click on "Print" -- notice yet another delay for a final download to rerender the message for the printer.
Having done all that, close Outlook, disconnect from the network (turn off wireless or disconnect wire), open Outlook and view that same message.  The x placeholders are shown instead of the embedded pictures.  Although those embedded pictures
were downloaded multiple times already, they were not persisted locally.
Outlook 2003 and 2007 correct ask for confirmation to save the pictures locally then does so.  Printing and viewing is then possible without having to redownload those pictures.
Is there going to be a fix for this Outlook 2010 defect?   I've been waiting, applying updates, and waiting.....

Answer 1

Please do not close this thread.  The issue remains.  I apologize for not checking back sooner.  I thought I would get pinged by email when this tread was updated;  I did not.  I'll monitor more closely in the future.
First, please note that I explicitly set Outlook to NOT download pictures automatically.  I want to be prompted to download.  However, after confirmed that I want the download, I expect pictures related to the message to be downloaded only once,
immediately after I confirm that I want them downloaded. 
I have confirmed many times that the behavior in this area is NOT identical between 2003, 2007 and 2010.  In particular, 2007 does download once and store locally (if user confirms to save changes when prompted), as expected, and 2010 downloads each
view/preview/print.
This is quite easy to verify -- simply unplug any network cable, disable wireless, etc.  In other words completely detach from the networked world.  2007 will correctly view/preview/etc. from local storage whereas 2010 always reverts to showing
placeholders for any embedded images.  This is 100% repeatable.
As an additional verification, simply move the .pst file to another system that is not connected to any network.  Open the .pst file with 2007 and any embedded images that were already downloaded (and saved) are there, with 2010 they are not.
With 2010, it is bad enough that embedded images are not saved for viewing when disconnected.  Worse than that, the repeated downloads can be a significant disruption to performance.  Just get on a really slow wireless connection as is typical
in some hotels.  Then try to view and print messages with lots of embedded pictures.  Slow takes on a whole new, even slower, meaning.
This 2010 defect has been reproduced.  Is there a KB article, Windows Update, hotfix,.... anything available to eliminate this problem of repeated downloads of embedded pictures?