It’s Only Rock and Roll: Steve Jobs is Back, iPhone 3.1, iTunes 9 & More

Steve Jobs returned to a standing ovation at Apple’s annual iPod event today, where Apple introduced version 3.1 of the iPhone OS and the next version of iTunes. With iTunes 9, Apple introduces a Genius-like recommendation feature for apps and 30,000 premade ringtones for $1.29 in iTunes. Version 9 of iTunes has also seen a major redesign. The application and the iTunes store now look much cleaner. Apple also introduced ‘iTunes LPs’ that will bring liner notes and artwork to digital albums (the much rumored ‘cocktail’ feature), as well as an app management for the iPhone and iPod touch that is built in to iTunes.

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Note: we will continue to update this post until the end of the event.

iTunes 9: App Management, iTunes LPs, Extras

During the presentation, Jobs stressed that the Genius feature in iTunes will now be applied to other areas in iTunes. Jobs also announced that Apple has now received over 27 million libraries from its uses, each with about 2,000 songs. Building on top of this database, Apple is introducing ‘Genius mixes’ in iTunes 9. You can now basically create Pandora-like radio stations with the music you already own by giving iTunes a few songs or artists to start out with.

The iTunes store is also getting a make-over, though the most important new feature here is that Apple is introducing ‘iTunes LPs’ – the much rumored ‘Cocktail’ feature that will bring artwork and liner notes and other ‘memorabilia’ back to digital music (as long you purchase it through iTunes, of course). Apple is also extending this concept to movies and will bring DVD extras to movies in the iTunes store.

The store itself now looks a lot cleaner, and it does feature the rumored ability to send out tweets and Facebook status updates about songs.

We will have a closer look at the new iTunes and iPhone 3.1 update once it launches later today.

Home Sharing

In addition, Apple announced that users can now share songs, movies, and TV shows with up to 5 authorized computers in a household. Apple always allowed users to share songs on a local network, but this new features takes this a bit further as it also allows users to automatically transfer purchases between different computers on a home network.

Manage iPhone Apps in iTunes 9

iPhone and iPod touch users will also be happy to hear that iTunes now allows you to manage your apps directly in iTunes, making it far easier to arrange icons on the small screen than every before. iTunes will now give you an overview of all the pages you have filled with apps on the iPhone and lets your reorganize those apps right from within iTunes. You can also move a complete page around.

iPhone Games

During the second part of the event, Apple gave iPhone and iPod game developers a chance to showcase a number of new games, including the upcoming iPhone version of Madden 2010, Riddim Ribbon (a new take on the Guitar Hero/Tap Tap Revenge music genre and maybe the most interesting game demoed today), Assassin’s Creed, and Nova, a new first-person shooter from Gameloft.

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