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 its 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.
A Strong Candidate
Microsoft released Vista SP1 Release Candidate (RC) in December,
but then refreshed that software in a public release earlier this
month.
Several Microsoft partners said they could not confirm Feb. 15 as
the date for SP1s release, but said they expect the software soon
for a number of reasons.
One of those is the strength of the release candidate, said Brian
Randell, a senior consultant with MCW Technologies in Los Angeles.
He has been using the SP1 RC and its stable and running well so,
I cant see why [the final release] wouldnt be out soon.
Microsofts hesitancy to give a firm date for SP1 means the company
is confident it can get the final release out on time, said Andrew
Brust, chief, new technology for consulting firm twentysix New
York. However, he agreed with NPDs Swenson that the company wants
to give itself room for last-minute changes. They are not ready to
promise anything beyond Q1, he said. Brust is a regional director
of Microsoft partners and works closely with the company.
Many believe the SP1 milestone is the one that will bring about a
new wave of adoption for Vista, especially among business customers
that have been awaiting the service packs release before updating
employee desktops. The combination of SP1 and Windows Server 2008,
due out on Feb. 27, is expected to bode well for Vista adoption in
the enterprise and medium-sized business sectors.
One date Cherry said Microsoft probably wont release SP1 is the
next Patch Tuesday, Feb. 12. Patch Tuesday refers to the second
Tuesday of every month when Microsoft sends out software patches
and updates via its automatic updating services.
Hopefully, they would keep the release of monthly patches separate
from the release of a service pack, Cherry said.
(Source: pcworld.com)