Microsoft may not have plans for a second Windows 7 service pack, and it isn’t talking

Is Microsoft planning a Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows 7? Until today, I thought it was inevitable. It turns out that unlike previous Windows versions, the software giant might just end at one service pack. The company will instead urge consumers and businesses alike to upgrade to Windows 8.

Earlier this morning, a rumor suggested that Microsoft has no plans for a Windows 7 SP2. The software giant will instead keep updating the operating system with monthly patches until its support expires, according to sources close to Microsoft’s sustained engineering team, which builds and releases service packs, cited by The Register.

I contacted Redmond to find out if this was just another rumor or if it was indeed the case. “Nothing to share,” a Microsoft spokesperson told The Next Web. That’s it. After all, Microsoft has not made any announcements about a Windows 7 SP2 and the company doesn’t comment on rumors or speculation, unless it’s something really important.

Clearly Microsoft doesn’t think this is one of those times. I disagree, given that until this Friday, Windows 7 is still the latest version of Microsoft’s desktop operating system. It will also likely remain the most popular one for months to come.

On the other hand, although Windows 7 is slowly becoming the new Windows XP, in terms of adoption and market share, the software giant still has a lot of time to prep. That’s because the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy states:

5 years Mainstream Support at the supported service pack level for Consumer/Hardware/Multimedia products.

10 years of support (5 years Mainstream Support and 5 years Extended Support) at the supported service pack level for Business, Developer and Desktop Operating System products.

More specifically, the end of mainstream support for Windows 7 SP1 is January 12, 2015, and the end of its extended support is January 14, 2020. By then, we’ll have Windows 9 and whatever else Microsoft has planned.

See also – Microsoft announces preview of Internet Explorer 10 coming to Windows 7 in mid-November

Image credit: Simon Smetryns