Apple confirmed all the rumours – except the most optimistic ones, introducing its new iPod range, iTunes 8 and new firmware for the iPhone and iPod touch.

There were no surprises to speak of – though it is perhaps criminal that the much improved user interface to iTunes which makes the new iPods easier to use than ever for blind or partially-sighted people wasn’t included within the pre-event rumours

As expected, iTunes 8 hosts Genius music recommendation technology – technology an Apple iTunes person said had been developed in-house by Apple.

Actually, what the highly-placed iTunes chap said was quite funny. I asked, “Did you buy in some of the data Genius recommendations are based on? Did you buy in the visualisers?” I was told, “We’re not the kind of company that buys in technology.” I had to point out that Apple bought in iTunes (and Final Cut, and a few others, come to that). He seemed a little crestfallen.

Naturally, iTunes includes an all new visualiser, though the same team member declined to explain if it was the much-discussed Magnetosphere. It looks the same, though.

Steve Jobs also announced that 100 million iPhone applications have now been downloaded from Apple”s App Store in just 60 days.

There’s quite a lot more, but it’s not like this information isn’t all across the web. Drop by here tomorrow for more on this.