ZDNet is reporting on the testing of Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3). It includes fixes for well over 900 problems (some of which can be fixed with hotfixes released after Service Pack 2 came out in 2004). ZDNet is reporting that SP3 might possibly come out later this year instead of 2008 as planned.
Excerpt from the article:
Microsoft confirmed that the new pre-beta XP SP3 build is real. (That’s more than the company is willing to do regarding the pre-beta builds of Vista SP1….) But company officials continued to decline to provide any more detailed information on when Microsoft will release a public beta of XP SP3 and/or when it is planning to release the final update.
“A pre-beta build of Windows XP SP3 was released to a select group of testers,†said a Microsoft spokeswoman, via e-mail. “We’re currently planning to deliver SP3 for Windows XP in the first half of CY2008. This date is preliminary, and we don’t have any more details to share at this time.â€
This is interesting, as a lot of mobile users have stayed with Windows XP due to battery life issues that James Kendrick and others have discussed (in regards to Windows XP versus Vista).