Steve Jobs is back after nearly a year out of the limelight.

Apple’s maestro received a standing ovation when he appeared before an invitation-only audience at the company’s new product launch event in San Francisco today.

Jobs, 54, is recovering from a liver transplant earlier this year, and he looked strikingly gaunt in his trademark collarless black, long-sleeved shirt and jeans. He used the platform to urge everyone to become organ donors; then it was down to business.

VIDEO: Steve Jobs talks about software update for iPhone users

As has become the norm, Jobs used the stage (and his personal showmanship) to demonstrate a range of improvements to existing products, focusing this time on Apple’s iPod lineup.

The iPod touch music and video player now has a new $199 starting price for its low-end model with 8 gigabytes of storage, a $30 price cut. The touch — which mimics most of the non-phone features of the popular iPhone — is being offered up as a cool music and video player and as “the most affordable gateway to Apple’s revolutionary App Store,” according to a statement from Apple executive Phillip Schiller.

As long as you’re within range of a wireless Wi-Fi connection, you can use the touch to download from a selection of 75,000 applications expanding its usefulness as a portable computing device. Other models of the touch include a 32 gigabyte model for $299 and 64 gigabytes of storage for $399; that’s enough to hold more than 14,000 songs or 80 hours of video.

 The popular iPod nano line has added a camera that shoots video clips; curiously, there is apparently no way to snap a still photo. For the first time, the nano also comes with a built-in FM radio, an option common to other portable music players. But Apple has added a twist: A TiVo-like ability to pause and even rewind the live broadcast (up to 15 minutes). You apparently cannot record radio programs for later playback, however. Throw in a new pedometer, and the two nano models — 8 gigabytes of storage for $149 and 16 gigabytes for $179 — offer a lot of function for the money.

Some observers figured that the iPod classic — the “full size” music player that started the iPod craze — might be finished given the focus on the touch and nano lineup. But no; the classic lives on, with more storage (160 gigabytes) than ever. The feature set appears to be unchanged from previous models; there’s no camera, no Wi-Fi. The price is $249, unchanged from the previous 120 gigabyte model.

And if you’re just looking for a tiny, basic music player, Apple has dropped the entry price for its 2 gigabyte iPod shuffle model to $59; that’s enough to hold about 500 songs. The 4 gigabyte version is $79.

It’s hard to argue with Apple’s success, although I continue to quibble with its “sealed box” philosophy. Why not give these music players a slot for a micro SD storage card to easily boost capacity and maintain multiple libraries of music and video? And how come there’s no way for the user to change an exhausted battery?

E-mail askwalt@wfaa.com