Vista SP1 Due In Coming Weeks

The wait is nearly over for the first service pack for Windows Vista, according to sources close to Microsoft. Microsoft has said the highly anticipated service pack would be out in the first quarter of this year, but some say it could be available in the next few weeks, more than a month before the quarter ends on March 31. A Taiwanese news outlet Wednesday reported in a story that Vista SP1 would be released Feb. 15, but “that date is as good as any other,” said Michael Cherry, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft. “For all we know, they could make it available tomorrow.”

Through its public relations agency today, Microsoft declined to comment on the Feb. 15 date beyond reiterating the software would be available in the first quarter. Still, several sources who work closely with Microsoft said a mid-February release is not unlikely, and they expect the software to be out before the end of March.

Chris Swenson, director of software industry analysis for the NPD Group, said that analysts have heard Feb. 15 as the target for SP1, but it’s not something Microsoft would confirm publicly to give itself time to make adjustments in case of negative feedback on the current release of the software.

Source: MSFN.org