Microsoft today tried to dampen expectations fueled by rumors of a phone-related Zune product through a response by Zune team member Brian Seitz. The staffer says that the Twitter account floating the rumors isn't officially run by Microsoft and says not to necessarily trust its information. The account creator also says the account exists to draw attention to a perceived lack of priorities at Apple, which he sees as cracking down unnecessarily on iPhone jailbreaking but not on piracy.

It's not yet apparent at this stage that the rumor is necessarily false. It had the new product due next month and competing with the iPhone and Palm Pre for attention. Microsoft is known through Seitz and multiple other company officials to be readying new Zune hardware for this year and is presumed to be centering its attention on the Zune HD.

Historically, Microsoft has announced new Zune hardware in September and either shipped almost immediately, as with the 2008 update, or else waited until November as with the first- and second-generation players.