Microsoft Office 2003 SP3 May Be Here Soon

Be on the lookout for a free upgrade to Office 2003 in the form of another service pack.Office 2007 may have recently been released, but many companies and individuals are sticking with Office 2003 for now. There's a learning curve for the software's new interface and besides, even the standard version costs $239.99 as an upgrade from Best Buy, though the upgrade is included in Software Assurance contracts.

Yesterday, a download referring to the service pack appeared on Microsoft's Web site. The download, "Office 2003 Service Pack 3 Administrative Template (ADM), OPAs, and Explain Text Update" only includes policy settings and documentation, but more could be on the way.

CNET reported back in April that another service pack for Office 2003 was forthcoming, but didn't give any guidance as to timing. Back then, a Microsoft official told CNET that SP3 would include security updates and potentially features included in Office 2007. I'm checking with Microsoft to see if I can find out any more.