Microsoft on Tuesday afternoon said it was delaying delivery of Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) to paying subscribers of its IT and developer networks because it had given Windows Vista SP1 higher priority.

Not long before midnight, however, subscribers of both TechNet and Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) reported that the service pack had appeared unannounced on the networks.

"To meet high customer demand for Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1), we have optimized available bandwidth and prioritized MSDN/TechNet delivery channels for Windows Vista SP1 downloads in all Windows languages," the company said in an e-mailed statement when asked earlier to explain why it was not offering subscribers the finished Windows XP service pack.

"Once we have satisfied this demand, we will roll out Windows XP SP3 via MSDN/TechNet," the statement continued.

Yesterday, Microsoft announced that it had finished Windows XP SP3 and would post the upgrade on Windows Update and its online download site next Tuesday, April 29. Subscribers to the TechNet and Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) services, however, were told it wouldn't be available for download until sometime "within the next month." Today, Microsoft confirmed May 2 as the date SP3 would be added to the TechNet and MSDN download lists.

The delay did not sit well with some TechNet and MSDN subscribers, who took Microsoft to the woodshed over the move. In messages posted to the TechNet support forum, many compared the situation to a February incident when Microsoft refused to let subscribers download Vista SP1, but under pressure, reversed that decision about two weeks later.

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