Windows Service Pack 3 coming next year

Aiming to keep its focus on Windows Vista, Microsoft is now targeting 2007 for its next Windows XP service pack update.

In a posting to its life cycle website, Microsoft set a preliminary date of the second half of next year for the release of Windows XP Service Pack 3 for both home and professional editions. That puts its debut well past the arrival of Vista, which is tipped for the second half of this year, and later than both outsiders and some insiders had originally predicted.

A Microsoft representative said: "We will be releasing another service pack for XP over the course of the product life cycle, and we are tentatively targeting the second half of 2007 for release. However, right now our priority is Windows Vista - we'll have more information to share about the next service pack for XP after Windows Vista ships."

Microsoft declined to say what features or patches would be included in the service pack update.

Speculation over when the update would appear and what it will contain has been ongoing almost since Service Pack 2 debuted in August 2004. SP 2 contained more new features than a typical Microsoft service pack, adding a host of security enhancements, a pop-up ad blocker and improved handling of wireless networks.

A Microsoft France executive confirmed in September a Service Pack 3 was in the works and suggested its release was scheduled for sometime in 2006 but after Vista's debut.

The update to Microsoft's life cycle page was earlier noted by the Microsoft Watch.

Ina Fried writes for CNET News.com