Microsoft announced changes to its roadmap for the next version of its Windows desktop and server operating systems. This is the latest in a long history of changed plans and missed target dates. All too often, Microsoft’s grandest plans early in product development have been greatly scaled back by the time that version of Windows finally ships—much later than planned. This article discusses the impact of the latest changes and describes how Microsoft needs to examine its both its product planning and its ability to execute those plans. The importance of Longhorn, the next Windows version, to Microsoft and to customers is assessed, and the implications of its delay are described.