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No wonder the Wow had so much trouble getting started. By Microsoft’s own count, Windows Vista Service Pack 1 rolls up 551 separate hotfixes, in addition to 23 security updates rated Important and already delivered via Windows Update. A handful of those hotfixes were previously released via Windows Update, but most were available only to corporate customers and OEMs.

If that sounds like a lot of bugs to be stomped in one service pack, well, 551 is a pretty big number. But it’s not out of line with the number of fixes that went into the two service packs for Windows XP. The first XP service pack was delivered in September 2002, about 14 months after the original RTM date; its list of fixes included updates from 24 security bulletins and 297 hotfixes. XP Service Pack 2 covered a longer period of time (23 months), but still, its list of fixes was staggering, with updates identified by 60 security bulletins and a whopping 666 (no, I did not make that number up) fixes. (If you want to do a fair comparison between the first service packs for Vista and XP, you need to exclude a few fixes from the Vista list. Back in 2002, XP Media Center didn’t yet exist, nor did Tablet PCs, Windows Sidebar gadgets, or the .NET Framework, just to name a few categories that collectively include more than 60 fixes in Vista SP1 but weren’t needed in XP SP1.)

In Microsoft’s release notes for SP1, the list of updates is stuffed into a barely formatted table that goes on for 35 mind-numbing pages (out of a total of only 55 pages). Each entry in the list consists of a Knowledge Base (KB) article number, the article title, and a general category name. Now, the categories that Microsoft’s developers use to categorize KB articles might make sense in Redmond but they aren’t very helpful from a Windows user’s point of view. So, over the weekend, I imported that list into Excel and went through it article by article, breaking it down into categories of my own devising. Here’s the list:

Fixes  Category
75  Internet Explorer
41  Sleep/Hibernation & Power Management
38  Storage
35  Hardware and Drivers
35  Networking
28  Desktop and Shell
25  Printing & Scanning Technologies
25  .NET Framework, Data Components, Development Tools
24  Setup, Deployment, Backup, and Activation
24  Windows Media Center
23  International/Localization
20  Computer Management, Administration, and Tools
19  Application Compatibility
19  Multimedia
16  Performance and Reliability
16  Startup/Shutdown
13  Time Zone/Daylight Saving Time
13  Windows Media Player and Related Technologies
12  Security
12  Remote Access, VPN
  8   IIS and WebDAV issues
  7   Wireless Networking
  7   Offline Files
  6   Windows Mail and Web-based Software
  5   Windows Sidebar and SideShow
  5   Windows Portable Devices

Personally, I wasn’t surprised to see Internet Explorer at the top of the list, nor was I shocked to see how many separate issues addressed problems with sleep, hibernation, and power management.

I’ll look at a few of these categories in more detail later this week, probably starting with the many fixes for sleep/hibernate/power issues. Which categories are you most interested in?

Source: ZDNet

Intel is planning to rename its brand name for the upcoming notebook Montevina platform to Centrino 2 in order to clear up confusion for consumers, according to sources at notebook makers.

Intel has used the brand name Centrino for four generations of its notebook platforms including Carmel, Sonoma, Napa and Santa Rosa. Although the technology and specifications have continued to improve, the unchanging brand name has left consumers unable to identify the differences, which has also lowered recognition in the market.

Notebook makers agree with Intel’s decision, since they believe most consumers do not familiar with the specifics of each platform and codename. The new marketing strategy should give consumers the feeling of a tangible upgrade and will hopefully spur replacement demand.

Intel is set to launch the Centrino 2 platform in Computex Taipei 2008 along with six 45nm notebook CPUs, all with a 1066MHz FSB. Core speeds will range between 2.26-3.06GHz and prices between US$209-851 in 1000-unit tray quantities.

Intel will then launch seven 45nm SFF (small form factor) notebook CPUs, similar to those used in Apple’s MacBook Air and soon other ultra-portable notebooks, in the third quarter of this year.

In additional news, Intel shipped over 100 million notebook CPUs in 2007. Shipments are expected to increase to 123 million units by the end of 2008. The company also expects to ship 145 million, 169 million, and 195 million notebook CPUs in 2009-2011, respectively.

Intel declined to respond saying it cannot comment on unannounced products.

Apple Inc. will introduce a version of the iPhone next year that can download from the Internet at a rate much faster than the existing version, AT&T Inc. chief executive Randall Stephenson confirmed Wednesday.
The device will operate on third-generation (3G) wireless networks, Stephenson said while speaking at a meeting of the Churchill Club in Santa Clara, California.
“You’ll have it next year,” he said, explaining that he was unaware of how much more the new version will cost than the existing $399 model because Apple chief executive Steve Jobs “will dictate what the price of the phone is.”
A 3G iPhone has long been believed to be part of Jobs’ strategy to meet his company’s self-imposed goal of selling 10 million during the 2008 calendar year. However, he noted in September that battery life on current 3G devices was too poor to commission a release in the immediate future.
“We’ve got to see the battery lives for 3G get back up into the five-plus-hour range,” he said at the time. “Hopefully we’ll see that late next year.”
In speaking to Bloomberg, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said the prospect of a more capable iPhone may make some shoppers put off buying an iPhone this year, but said the number of shoppers who delay a purchase won’t be “enough to make a difference.”

Source: Apple Insider