Apple's head honcho Steve Jobs returned to the stage today to make his first public appearance following a liver transplant earlier in the year. His arrival, greeted by rapturous applause from the Apple faithful, brought with it a handful of new product launches.
On the software front, Apple introduced a new version of its iPhone operating system, followed by the launch of iTunes 9 - the latest release of Apple's hugely popular media manager and store.
iTunes 9, available to download from apple.com/itunes, introduces a selection of new features including iTunes LP, Home Sharing, Genius Mixes and a redesigned store front (pictured above).
iTunes LP, arguably the update's most significant new feature, aims to deliver "a rich, immersive experience" for select albums by incorporating related bonus features such as live performance videos, lyrics, artwork, photos and more. Similar, in a sense, to what Microsoft has attempted to do with its Zune marketplace.
Apple's added functionality, dubbed iTunes Extras, will also be made available to movies with titles such as Iron Man now supplemented with documentaries, deleted scenes and interviews.
Also new to iTunes 9 is Home Sharing, a feature that allows users to share content with up to five computers in a single household. iTunes' Genius feature, first introduced in version eight, has been expanded to include Genius Mixes - a tool that will generate endless DJ-like mixes of songs in an iTunes library.
Last but not least, iTunes 9 promises improved synchronisation with Apple's iPhone and iPod touch. Users will now finally be able to organise and manage apps from within iTunes, and iTunes' sync tools have also been overhauled to allow for greater control.
