Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Release Slated for July

Microsoft has confirmed that the first official version of Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 will be released next month (July, 2010). It doesn't appear the pack will bring any major updates, but it could still drive up business sales.

A service pack is a collection of all updates released for the software since its original launch. At one stage service packs were a way to get updates (via disc) to people on dial-up modems who didn't want to use the automatic update download service; today they are used more among people who prefer to carry out major updates in a single batch.

Another benefit of the service pack is that it can be automatically integrated (slipstreamed) with current Windows installation CDs, saving the need for extensive updating as soon as the buyer first boots up his or her PC.  (Source: pcworld.com)

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Beta Due in July

Microsoft confirmed that it's working on Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) at its recent TechEd event. Microsoft also noted that SP1 will not include any new features. For Windows 7, Service Pack 1 will really just be a collection of updates already available through Windows Update.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the service pack is that it might bring new sales of Windows 7. There is something of a tradition among many businesses to avoid updating to a new version of Windows until the first service pack is released, a strategy designed to avoid early teething troubles. (Source: windowsteamblog.com)

Firms to Upgrade to Win7 After SP1 Release

Microsoft had argued that such a policy was unnecessary with Windows 7, due to its extensive testing procedure. However, some firms may still have been influenced by the troubled launch of Vista, which had early compatibility problems.

That may mean that there'll be a sizeable number of firms which had always intended to upgrade to Windows 7 but were simply waiting for the service pack. That, combined with the belief that some firms were waiting until the new financial year (beginning in April for many companies) to allocate budgets for an upgrade, means that sales may remain strong even in the third full quarter of the system being available.

That sales boost may be why Microsoft looks set to have the finished edition of the first service pack out within a year of Windows 7's debut, a comparatively early release schedule.

It also may be no coincidence that July also marks the end of official support for all but the final version of XP, and the release of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 may be the tipping point for XP users who have waited as long as possible before moving on from the old system.