Just got an email about Club-Nintendo's new Privacy Policy, which has to be accepted to keep & user your stars after 31st May 2011. This contains some new information about how the 3DS may update is going to work, I think?
So I guess there will be less focus on a 3DS shop account like on the Wii and DSi, instead integrating the Club Nintendo account more directly into the system.
http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/service/privacy_2071.html2) Club Nintendo Privacy Policy
The amendment of the Club Nintendo Privacy Policy was necessary due to the launch of the new Nintendo 3DS system which offers a broad variety of network services. As you can link your Club Nintendo account to your Nintendo 3DS system, we adjusted the existing privacy policy to reflect and explain this. Under the new Club Nintendo Privacy Policy we ask for your consent to share your data with our parent company Nintendo Co. Ltd. in Japan. The Nintendo 3DS system offers many new and exciting features and applications which we cannot provide to you without involving our parent company. As you can link your Club Nintendo account to your Nintendo 3DS system, the involvement of our parent company also affects Club Nintendo. Your consent allows us to improve our services and products and to make them more attractive for you. Nintendo Co., Ltd. will use your information only for the purposes outlined in the Club Nintendo Privacy Policy and we will take all necessary steps to ensure that your privacy is protected. We also tried to make the Club Nintendo Privacy Policy more transparent and easier to understand and made changes which were necessary due to an amendment of the legal situation. Please indicate if you are willing to accept the changes to the Club Nintendo Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy by selecting I ACCEPT or I DECLINE from the options listed below. You can also choose to read the full Club Nintendo Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy for a more detailed explanation of whats new.
If you already own a Nintendo console or if you buy such a console in the future, you have the option to link your Club Nintendo account to your console (provided your console supports this feature).
Even though you will be able to enjoy all services and advantages of your Nintendo console without linking in this way, linking your console to a Club Nintendo account allows you to take advantage of several additional features:
You will be able to redeem your Stars to get points or funds for shopping services on your console (service dependent on availability)
You will be able to claim Stars for Virtual Console games you purchase (service dependent on availability).
You will be able to check your statistics from Nintendo games with online functionality (service dependent on availability).
After you link your Nintendo console to a Club Nintendo account, Nintendo may collect information about the way you use your console and the network services provided through your console, including information about the applications and channels you use, the products you are interested in, the games you download and/or play and how long you play them. Any information stored in relation to your console will be linked to the information stored in relation to your Club Nintendo account; this information may be used for Marketing Purposes.
So I guess there will be less focus on a 3DS shop account like on the Wii and DSi, instead integrating the Club Nintendo account more directly into the system.