Guess who’s back, back again?  Steve Jobs graciously owned the stage in San Fransisco on Thursday during the latest Apple keynote presentation.  There was lots of discussion and reveals on the iTunes and iPod front.  Let’s not waste any time and get right to it.  Read on for all the juicy details of the keynote.

• iPhone OS 3.1
  • Genius will now “automatically make recommendations from the App Store based on the applications you own.”  Think of it as iTunes Genius for your music, but now for your purchased apps.
  • Ringtones – over 30,000 ringtones available to purchase at $1.29 each.  All four major record labels are on-board.
  • 3.1 firmware update is a free download available now for iPhone and iPod touch owners (there is a $5 upgrade price for those iPod touch users who have not upgraded to 3.0)
•  iTunes 9
  • Features a cleaner, easier-to-navigate UI with a redesigned store
  • Genius Mixes – Think of this as your own personal DJ spinning your favorite songs continuously.  Genius Mixes takes your current music library and groups songs/artists/genres together for you to listen to; it’s like listening to your preferred radio station.
  • Improved syncing – Now you have the option to manually sync exactly what you want (for example, you can sync specific artists, genres, albums, etc.)
  • App organization – You can arrange your apps in iTunes.  Plug in your iPhone or iPod touch and you get a visual copy of your home screen and your multiple pages; you simply drag and drop 1 or more apps at a time.  This couldn’t be any simpler.
  • Home Sharing – Allows you to “manage your family’s iTunes collection between computers in your home.”  You can copy songs, movies, TV shows, etc. with up to 5 computers.  For example, say you have 5 family members each with their own computer and iTunes accounts.  Now you can all easily share your iTunes content by dragging and dropping other family members’ songs into your library.  The files copy right over and viola–you now have songs in your library that originally resided in your brother’s music library.
  • iTunes LP – Tools are now given to record labels and artists to create and distribute  many album extras in their digital music albums.  These extras include behind-the-scenes videos, photos, liner notes, lyrics, chronology of albums, credits, animations, and more.  Although digital downloads will never be the same as buying a physical CD or record in a retail store, iTunes LP is a step in the right direction for those who have switched to digital music and who miss receiving the entire “album experience” you get when you purchase your favorite artist’s latest album.
  • iTunes Extras (for movies) – Think of the extras you would find on a DVD; they will now be included when you purchase a movie from the iTunes Store
  • Facebook and Twitter integration – You now have the option to share your favorite songs and artists with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.  There is an embedded option that allows you to link a song, artist, or album information to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.
  • iTunes 9 is available today as a free download
• iPod
  • iPod touch
    • Lineup: $199 (8GB); $299 (32GB); $399 (64GB)
    • cheaper and new storage capacity
    • up to 50% faster; OpenGL|ES Version 2.0 (adds more realism in games)
    • Publishers discuss upcoming games for the App Store – Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II Discovery; Tapulous’s Riddim Ribbon (an awesome music game that incorporates racing and DJ control); Gameloft’s Nova; EA’s Madden NFL 10
  • iPod classic
    • Lineup: $250 (160GB) (holds 40,000 songs)
    • Same price, capacity upgrade from 120GB
  • iPod shuffle
    • Lineup: $59 (2GB); $79 (4GB); $99 (4GB Special Edition in stainless steel, Apple Store exclusive)
    • all new shiny colors: black, silver, pink, green, blue
    • expand range of headphones with an adapter that will allow you to change volume/tracks
    • new VoiceOver features ( reads statuses, like battery level)
  • iPod nano
    • Lineup: $149 (8GB) and $179 (16GB)
    • all new colors in polished anodized aluminium: green, blue, purple, black, silver, pink, red, orange, yellow
    • larger 2.2 inch display
    • new included apps: FM radio, Voice Recorder, pedometer (syncs with Nike +)
    • VIDEO CAMERA (the one more thing) – Integrated video camera; only shoots videos (no picture stills); VGA resolution (640×480); includes microphone and speaker

Note:  When asked why Apple did not include a video camera in the new iPod touch, Jobs responded: “Originally, we weren’t exactly sure how to market the Touch. Was it an iPhone without the phone? Was it a pocket computer? What happened was, what customers told us was, they started to see it as a game machine.  We started to market it that way, and it just took off. And now what we really see is it’s the lowest-cost way to the App Store, and that’s the big draw. So what we were focused on is just reducing the price to $199. We don’t need to add new stuff. We need to get the price down where everyone can afford it.”

Check out the gallery below for some official press shots of the new products and services.

[Gallery images via Apple]