Apple announces iPhone OS 3.1, iTunes 9 and adds video camera to iPod Nano

Apple hosted its ‘Rock & Roll’ event in the US today (at 6pm UK time), where it unveiled a host of new music-related services and iPods. There a dozens of tech news sites that will drill down into every announcement in mind-numbing detail, so we though we’d stick to a top-level summary that tells you the important stuff.

So, in no particular order, we have — after the cut...

• iTunes 9
  Not much for mobile users, but it does an interface include iPhone/iPod Touch app management and a new ‘LP’ concept that provides cover art, liner notes and other LP-like information for iTunes music downloads. It has a bunch of other new features that should please most users, too. It’s available… now!
• iPhone OS 3.1
  Apple didn’t say much about this, other than it includes a new Genius feature for apps. Just like music, this makes new app recommendations based on the ones you already have installed. This might be useful, but it will at least sell more apps. iPhone OS 3.1 is available now via iTunes 8 or 9.
• iPod Touch
  The 16Gb iPod Touch has gone and the 8Gb model gets a price cut to £149. The 32Gb iPod Touch now costs £229 and there’s a new 64Gb model for £299. All models now support the same OpenGL ES graphics as the iPhone 3GS (and presumably get a faster processor, too).
• iPod Classic
  Still here. 160Gb. £189.
• iPod Shuffle
  More colours. 2Gb costs £45, 4Gb costs £75. Yawn.
• iPod Nano
  The Nano gets a video camera to compete with the likes of the Creative Vado and Flip , plus an FM tuner and a built-in pedometer. The screen has grown to 2.2in, too. The 8Gb model costs £115, the 16Gb £135.

And that’s pretty much it. It’s a surprise that the iPod Touch didn’t get the same video camera treatment as the Nano, but you can bet that will come at some point. It’s no surprise that Apple didn’t announce a tablet Mac/iPhone — and the fact that this was a music event is only part of it.

Engadget has some excellent coverage of the event if you want the nitty gritty and is currently running some hands-on photos of all the new gadgets.