“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.

Service packs are just one example of the work we do to constantly improve the Windows experience.
We also deliver improvements to Windows via Windows Update, which is an excellent channel for providing our customers with the most significant updates as they happen.
And, 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.”

There has been so much ink about Windows Vista™ SP1 that this official position statement on SP1 is welcome.

Thanks, Nick.