More talk of next-generation Zunes and an international rollout of the Zune platform has made its way to the front lines via different sources. Last week, two job postings pointed to Microsoft's upcoming plans for the Zune platform. The company is readying a hardware refresh for the Zune devices, and has plans for improving the services centered around the Zune. The whispers suggest that with this release, Microsoft will finally aim to expand the Zune into more countries than just the US and Canada. Starting with a tweet from Zune employee from Brian Seitz (see above), reports this week lead observers to believe that the Zune will be updated this year. The release this fall will indeed be an international one, though it's not yet clear what products or countries such a launch will first include. There are talks of expansion to Europe, as well as China and Australia, but a complete list is not yet available. According to Neowin, the form factor will be changing: "Stay tuned for more, including specs and pictures (we've seen the internal video!). I'll leave our readers with this: It's slim and you won't need a D-Pad." Touch-enabled Zune, anyone? All we have is rumors for now: no specs have actually been confirmed for the next-generation Zunes. paidContent talked to Chris Stephenson, general manager of global marketing for Microsoft's entertainment business, and learned that the Zune device may not end up going on sale at the same time that the Zune Marketplace and Zune software arrive in international markets. "It doesn't follow that everything goes to market at the same time," Stephenson said. The Zune platform is also expected to make its way to Windows Mobile and somehow the TV.
