Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) has been sent to computer manufacturers, according to a blog post on Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Russian TechNet site on Jan. 14. When Microsoft quietly posted the first release candidate of Windows 7 SP1 in October last year, the company said that it will be the last update prior to an RTM release in the first part of this year. With everything apparently on track so far, we can probably expect the official release of Windows SP1 to be available very soon. SP1 essentially packs a number of hotfixes together and an updated desktop client that leverages Microsoft's RemoteFX technology.

For some businesses though, the release of SP1 could be the catalyst for them to switch to the latest version of the Windows operating system. Recent reports have pegged Windows XP as ending the year with a majority 56.7 percent of the market share and Windows 7 barely tipping past 20 percent. The potential for a surge in Windows 7 adoption means that the release of SP1 could prove to be an important landmark for Microsoft. When contacted by CNET, a Microsoft spokesperson said the company has "nothing to share at this time."

For more on this story:
- check out this article at CNET News
- check out this article at Maximum PC

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