.NET Framework 4.5 operating system requirements (no Vista and XP)

Question

Currently, the .NET Framework 4.5 runs only on Windows 7 and above:

Operating system                        Version 4.5 Beta
--------------------------------------------------------
Windows 8 Consumer Preview                √ (see notes)
Windows 7, all editions                   √
Windows Vista, all editions               —
Windows XP Professional, all editions     —

While I understand that XP support is being dropped, I'm a bit surprised by the decision not to support Vista. (After all, .NET 4 supported XP and above.)

Is there any indication (press announcements, MSDN blog entries, ...) that more operating systems will be supported when .NET 4.5 is released?

Answer 1

Microsoft updated the their .NET Framework System Requirements page to reflect that .NET 4.5 now officially supports Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7, and Windows 8.