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Microsoft was expected to make a Zune-related announcement today according to Cliczune.com which cites iLounge as the originator of the rumor.  Many speculate it will be a flash-based Zune, similar to the Nano destined to be a lower retails.

While the Zune store collection is growing, Microsoft needs to keep driving the service with new players hosting new features.

Microsoft marketing guy Chris Stephenson in a recent interview says Zune is about 3 things, vision-wise:

• higher-end video players
• mid-range music-centric devices
• low-end USB devices

“We think of [the Zune] as a broad entertainment offer that is driven by music at the moment,” he said. “We will start to play more aggressively in a broader number of categories.”

I really suspect video isn’t close to being ready.  It would be easy (for me) to whip up a low-end device and get it out there to help the Zune brand…All this begs the question, is the “social” headed for the clearance table?

So what happened? Why no announcement?

Read [Cliczune]