Quote:The first service pack for Windows Vista could be out as early as Feb. 15, according to sources close to Microsoft.

The wait is nearly over for the first service pack for Windows Vista, according to sources close to Microsoft.

Microsoft has said the highly anticipated service pack would be out in the first quarter of this year, but some say it could be available in the next few weeks, more than a month before the quarter ends on March 31.

A Taiwanese news outlet Wednesday reported in a story that Vista SP1 would be released Feb. 15, but “that date is as good as any other,” said Michael Cherry, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft. “For all wee know, they could make it available tomorrow.”

Through its public relations agency today, Microsoft declined to comment on the Feb. 15 date beyond reiterating the software would be available in the first quarter. Still, several sources who work closely with Microsoft said a mid-February release is not unlikely, and they expect the software to be out before the end of March.

Many believe the SP1 milestone is the one that will bring about a new wave of adoption for Vista, especially among business customers that have been awaiting the service pack’s release before updating employee desktops. The combination of SP1 and Windows Server 2008, due out on Feb. 27, is expected to bode well for Vista adoption in the enterprise and medium-sized business sectors.

Hopefully this service pack will mean some of the issues with Vista will be resolved!