History will likely show this to have been a wise decision, with Windows 7 now gaining a reputation as one of the most polished initial desktop OS releases Microsoft has ever put forth -- even better than the legendary Windows 2000 Professional. So it really comes as no surprise that the interest level surrounding a potential SP1 beta in the spring/summer of this year is still quite low. Everyone seems so content with the Windows 7 RTM build that speculation about what might be in such an initial service pack barely registers on most IT shop radars.
What Windows 7 SP1 will likely do
Yet speculate we must. Beyond the obvious bug fixes and security patches, we'll no doubt see support for the new USB 3.0 standard. Likewise, enhancements to the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi stacks will be slipstreamed in, allowing Windows 7 to retain its mantle as the most easily configured version ever.
But perhaps the most significant "update" to come out of Service Pack 1 will be the fact that it exists at all, and that by delivering it to market Microsoft will be signaling that it is now OK for IT shops to pull the trigger on their Windows 7 deployments. So here's to an early SP1 release -- and a final dismissal of that pesky rule of thumb.
This article, "What Microsoft has in store for Windows 7 Service Pack 1," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments on Windows 7 and Windows in general at InfoWorld.com.