The first news of a Vista SP1 beta arriving this week came from Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley, who cited 'unnamed' sources that saidMicrosoft would deliver a beta of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 in the mid of July, well before the originally-stated November date. Foley's post, titled "Vista SP1 beta 1 to launch in mid-July" also stated that, "We are now in the under-promise and over-deliver era at Microsoft," referring to Microsoft's comments on up coming Vista SP1 beta. We have also read a blog post by Island Dog on it.

But, with mid-July quickly passing, Microsoft decided it was time to clear the air. They said "There will be a Windows Vista service pack and our current expectation is that a beta will be made available sometime this year. Service packs are part of the traditional software lifecycle – they’re something we do for all Microsoft products as part of our commitment to continuous improvement, and providing early test builds is a standard practice that helps us incorporate customer feedback and improve the overall quality of the product".

Although it wouldn't explicitly said so, Microsoft's plans put a final release of Vista SP1 sometime next year. Though beta code may be made available this week to a very small group of testers, Vista SP1 Beta 1 is not on the way, and will not arrive anytime soon.

"Since Windows Vista launched, we have continued working with partners to improve overall device coverage and application compatibility. There are now more than 2.1 million supported devices and more than 2,000 logoed applications for Windows Vista. We think customers will have a great experience using Windows Vista today," Microsoft added.

Source: BetaNews