The Zune HD has been released, our review has been posted, the apps have made an appearance, and a long slew of rumors and hype has finally ended. Wait. What do you mean it might be happening all over again?
While looking over the Zune HD's various manuals and documentation, Engadget noticed the mention of "other touch-screen Zune players" in the A/V dock's quick start guide. For those with text-only browsers, here's the important part of the quote:
Touch-screen Zune players
An HDMI cable (included) and a high-definition TV are required for high-definition viewing. Zune HD and other touch-screen Zune players also work with the composite A/V cable (included).
Considering that there aren't any other touchscreen Zunes out there, and that all the other Zunes have been discontinued, it looks to us like Redmond is scheming to release more Zunes (and not just the rumored Zune HD 64GB).
If there really is more to come, Microsoft isn't going to let us in on the secret that easily. "We've always said that we're committed to Zune in the long-term and will continue to evolve Zune over time," a Microsoft spokesperson told Ars. "However, we've made no announcements around additional Zune devices. Today we're proud of Zune HD and the outstanding portable experience it provides our customers." This looks like the first of many rumors to come, though with Microsoft you never know for sure.