Tech ARP reports that Windows Vista SP2 might be delayed until March. Microsoft will deliver a Release Candidate of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 in March and not in February. Also, Microsoft will send the service pack build to OEM and retailers only in the second quarter of 2009 and not in April.
Below are the scheduled dates as predicted by TechARP:
Image Courtesy: Tech ARP
The time delay between RTM and Public Versions release is hard to predict as there was a delay of 2 weeks between Windows XP SP3"s RTM and Public Versions and 6 weeks delay in case of Windows Vista SP1.
Microsoft is releasing a Release Candidate (RC) Escrow Build in February instead of the normal RC build. The Escrow Build is a build where development halts and developers & beta testers start testing the product for any show-stopper bugs.
Microsoft has announced that it is not mandatory for OEMs to install Windows Vista SP2 and is marked as an optional install. This clearly shows that Microsoft indeed wants everybody to move to Windows 7. Many OEMs will be hesitant about spending more money and effort for qualifying new builds with their products. It becomes the sole responsibilty of the consumer now to update to Vista SP2.
In a nutshell, Microsoft has delayed the Windows Vista SP2 release by a month and who knows, you might get another Windows 7 build in the mean time!
However, the big question now is: Will you be installing Windows Vista SP2 or Wait for Windows 7?