So, when is Windows Vista Service Pack 1 coming out? It sounds like a simple question, but the answer is anything but.
In February, CEO Steve Ballmer announced that Microsoft had wrapped up development of the update, but the company cautioned that the update wasn't ready for the masses. Chief among the reasons was that some Vista drivers were rendered inoperable when moving from Vista to Vista SP1.
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As a result, Microsoft said it would be mid-March before SP1 showed up for download via Windows Update and Microsoft.com. That appears to be on track and, what with mid-March now upon us, it seems likely that SP1 will be available from Microsoft's servers very shortly.
Less clear, though, is when the OS update will replace the initial Vista on retail shelves and on new PCs.
On the retail front, Microsoft said in a statement on Monday that "we expect Windows Vista with SP1 will be available as a full packaged retail product as soon as April". So those making pre-orders for Vista SP1 through online stores may have to wait awhile longer to get the product, although users can always buy Vista now and upgrade to SP1 separately.
On the question of when PC makers will start offering new machines with Service Pack 1 preloaded, Microsoft was even less forthcoming. Although PC makers got the code in February, Microsoft said: "It takes time for our OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) partners to update their assembly lines with code."
"Our partners will begin distributing SP1 on new PCs when they are ready."
Service Pack 1 is not a bunch of bleeding edge features that are going to convince consumers to rush out and get the operating system. It's a collection of performance improvements and bug fixes, the kinds of things that were supposed to give the software maker a chance to convince big businesses that Vista has its act together. However, with uncertainty around SP1's readiness and its timing, it seems like Microsoft may be giving the opposite impression.
