I have spoken to Microsoft Technical support on many occasions. Also, I have the Cell phone number for my Microsoft account representative.
And how much are you paying for this premium service, and how much detailed information can you get from him? A Vista release date? Your point about not expecting communication would apply if this was Open Source.
No it wouldn't. First of all, it has nothing to do with whether your product is open-source or not, and second of all, most open source projects are the ones who do the most communicating. Know what's going to be in Office 12? Nope, nobody does, but you can look up what OpenOffice.org are currently adding to their products. Know what's going to be in the next version of Photoshop? Neither do I, but I can look up what's going to be in the next version of GIMP.Companies simply do not communicate such things. They are into adding real value to software - communication does not provide real value.
Perfect example: Windows Vista, slated for release before Christmas, and supposedly 'feature complete' yet nobody seems to know what these features are, except for a notch up on the Fisher Price interface guidelines.