Considering all the new features they add each time with each product, and the amount of overlap, it's really about time.

With office 07 we saw OpenOfficeXML, but SSMS 2005 couldn't import it. Now we have 2008 reporting services, but VS2008 was released first, and doesnt have the report viewer (yet) These disconnects are the most frustrating to me. When you work with the rest of the system/organizations, many of these applications overlap, and when the features don't connect your stuck.

If I have specific features in one application that I like, but I can't use them because the other products it would work best with don't have that feature because it won't be relesaed until next year, then I'll just wait.

If they are released together, then I might buy them all, becuase I can use them all to upgrade my system. ie use the new SSIS to import OpenOfficeXML files, crunch, combine, split, modify, then display in my SSRS report viewer in VS 2008.

It's in Microsoft's best interest.