Now, even if this is all true, I'm not sure this one rises to the level of real news. ...
But it would seem that we've seen yet another demonstration of how the audio market differs from real, semiconductor-driven markets like graphics and processors. If ATI or AMD were to launch a "new" product three years after the last revision, give it a new name, and deliver a warmed-over version of the same chip with one new feature, we'd crucify 'em. And rightly so.
For Creative and the market it leads, this kind of thing is par for the course.