Microsoft delivered its first service pack for Office 2007 on Tuesday, roughly a year after the product first became available for business and earlier than expected.
The update will make the server components of Office fully compatible with the upcoming Windows Server 2008, which is set to be officially launched in Q1 2008. The new update comes in the shadow of the Vista SP1, which is largely includes stability and performance improvements.
"These enhancements span the software applications and servers that home and office workers use each day and will make the 2007 Office system an even more robust and effective productivity tool," Office product manager Reed Shaffner said in a feature posted to Microsoft's Web site. "In essence, SP1 targets the issues that customers told us mattered to them most."
Microsoft said the download is available now and customers can also order a CD with the update. At some later date, Microsoft said it will make the service pack available through automatic updates.
Shaffner said he hoped the release will remove any lingering doubts that the product is ready for the market at large.
"We recently passed the 12 million mark in trial downloads of the [Office] 2007 release from Microsoft.com," he said. "We're optimistic that with the shipment of SP1 we're removing any residual barriers that may have impeded deployment and that adoption will only accelerate."
