Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs returned to the showman role that has helped define his company leadership, taking the stage on Sept. 9 for the first time since his medical leave to announce new products. And while a long-rumored Apple tablet computer wasn't among them, one new product in particular -- an iPod Nano that records video -- has captured the attention of educators.

Jobs, who had a liver transplant this spring, got a vigorous standing ovation from many in the audience.

Looking thin and speaking quietly and with a scratchy voice, the 54-year-old CEO urged everyone to become organ donors. "I wouldn't be here without such generosity," he said.

Jobs had not appeared at such a product launch event since last October. He bowed out of his usual keynote at the year's largest Mac trade show in January and went on leave shortly thereafter for nearly six months.

At an event for journalists, bloggers, and software partners, Jobs announced updates to Apple's iTunes and iPhone software and unveiled a new iPod Nano with a built-in video camera.

Phil Schiller, Apple's top marketing executive, also took the stage to announce price cuts and storage boosts to existing iPod Touch models.
Few chief executives are considered as critical to their companies' success as Jobs has been to Apple's since 1997, when he returned to the company after a 12-year hiatus, and Apple's stock has soared and plunged on news and rumors of his health.

Jobs, whose medical problems began more than five years ago and included treatment for a rare form of pancreatic cancer, seemed happy to be back in the spotlight, saying, "I'm vertical, I'm back at Apple and loving every day of it."

As was expected, Apple's announcements were mainly tied to music players and the iTunes software, though Jobs spoke briefly about the iPhone and said 30 million of the devices had been sold so far.

Apple compared the new video-camera Nano to Cisco Systems' Flip Mino, a tiny, simple video recorder that sells for $149, just like the basic, eight-gigabyte version of the overhauled Nano (the 16 GB Nano costs $179). The new Nano--the smallest iPod that has a screen--also has a microphone, a pedometer, a 2.2-inch display, and an FM radio tuner.

"The new iPod Nano presents a very nicely packaged personal electronic device that can be utilized for high-quality video capture in the classroom or the field," said David Mulford, director of instructional technology at Roanoke College in Salem, Va. "Before cell phone cameras were widely available, people often had those 'I wish I had a camera' moments. Now, everybody seems to be carrying around at least some kind of small, portable imaging device. The new Nano affords the same kind of convenience in a multifunction device, but with much higher video quality than most cell phone cameras can provide. I must say, I also like the addition of an FM radio."