XP Service Pack 3 Delayed Until 2008

Just as Microsoft releases one of its most anticipated products of this season (Internet Explorer 7), the Redmond-based company has announced the delay of an important update for the Windows XP operating system -- XP Service Pack 3 (SP3).

Even though Windows Vista is planned for mass release in November 2006 (business and corporate versions) and January 2007 (home editions), XP Service Pack 3 will not be officially launched until at least 2008.

And now that the bomb has been dropped, speculation has begun. When XP SP2 was released in 2004, the last Service Pack essentially acted as a whole new version of Windows, instead of merely an update. The same could be true for Service Pack 3, which won't launch until the next Winter Olympics. Yeah, that long from now. (softpedia.com)

It isn't the first time this particular Service Pack has been delayed, either; SP3 was once set for release late in 2007 (a date that looked cemented as recently as this past January). (blogs.zdnet.com)

At that time many insiders speculated that it meant the Vista operating system was also destined for delay. That hasn't happened -- Microsoft is absolutely completely and firmly determined to release Vista on time -- but it could mean that the new operating system has set back the importance of SP3.

Indeed, most of those with their ears closest to Microsoft's voice have confirmed that the Vista release has taken priority over all other software releases.

For the sake of existing XP users, the SP3 update had better be worth the wait.