Apple Introduces iPhone 3.1 Software, iTunes 9

We’re live from Apple’s Steve Jobs is on stage and is greeted by a standing ovation. We’ve sold 30 million iPhones. And Apple has more than 75,000 apps, and users have downloaded over 1.8 billion apps. (Doesn’t include updates.)

New Genius technology. App Store will show you recommendations based on what you already own Also adding 30,000 ringintones for $1.29 each. But does that include the full track?

iTunes recently surpassed 100 million accounts. Wow. Today introducing iTunes 9, which has a cleaner interface. First major feature is Genius mixes. It’s like a genius DJ that plays endless mixes of songs that go together, similar to radio stations. This reminds me of what Microsoft has done with its Zune software.

iTunes 9 also has improved syncing. You can say I want to sync these playlists and I want all the music by a given artists or genre. You can also sync faces and events in photos. But the big news is how Apple has improved app syncing, giving users more control. New home sharing feature lets you share music with up to five other computers and stream their contents. You can also drag whatever you want to your library.

When it comes to the store itself, there’s a cleaner interface with new movie pages and artist pages. New iTunes LP. Have videos and liner notes. Giving artists more control over what appears.

Demo time. Showing us new iTunes 9 with easier syncing of applications. You can easily remove apps right from the desktop, as well as search for apps. Can even move whole pages of apps, great if you want to (for example) have all your games together.

Moving on to network sharing. Showing us how you can move tracks from other computers on your network your Mac or PC by just dragging and dropping. Pretty slick.

Onto new iTunes store. New user interface makes it easy to buy tracks right from the Top Charts list, as well as instant preview streaming. You can gift albums, add to wishlist (new feature) as well as share via Facebook or Twitter.

iTunes LP have lots of extras. Going for interactive experience. Photos. Chronology. Behind-the-scenes videos. The Doors album has all the features.

There are also iTunes extras for movies. Now this could threaten DVD sales. Chapter selections and more. Who needs an optical drive in their notebook now?