The star of the event is back and the party is on. Apple boss Steve Jobs stole the show at an event to launch new products as he took to the stage for the first time in nearly a year following medical leave.He was last seen in 2008.

Mr Jobs returned to work at the end of June as he had announced earlier after taking a six month break to recover from a liver transplant. There had been speculations that Apple failed to inform investors of his health conditions and many were upset from such secrecy.But when Steve told of his liver condition everyone has been waiting for his re appearance. In anticipation the Apple stocks had jumped and now that he is here can the momentum be sustained?

After a long summer of speculation about what would roll off the Apple production line, the products took second billing to Mr Jobs’ appearance. “I’m vertical and I’m back,” joked Mr Jobs at a press event in San Francisco.

As the audience rose to give him a standing ovation and cheer his return, the notoriously private Mr Jobs talked briefly about the operation he received at a hospital in Tennessee. “As some of you may know, about five months ago I had a liver transplant,” he told the crowd of press, analysts and invited guests.

“So I have the liver of a mid-20’s person who died in a car crash and was generous enough to donate their organs. I wouldn’t be here without such generosity.”

Dressed in his perennial uniform of blue jeans and a black turtle neck, and looking perhaps a bit thinner than usual, the technology mogul urged everyone to follow suit and become organ donors. “In charge”

Weeks before the company’s event dubbed “It’s only rock n roll and we like it,” the rumour mill had gone into over-drive about whether or not Mr Jobs would attend given the attention his health has attracted.

The issue has been seen as a major distraction for the company. Many believed that this was one engagement Mr Jobs could not afford to miss given that the company’s share price has risen and fallen in the past on reports of his health.

“Today it was all about Steve Jobs,” Gene Munster, a senior analyst with Piper Jaffray & Co told the BBC. “Users and investors of Apple adore Steve Jobs and the fact that he was here is really a statement that he is in charge and he is an active part of the company. That is the most important takeaway,” said Mr Munster.

That was a view echoed by Barclays Capital analyst Ben Reitzes. “We believe it is positive that Jobs is healthy and enthusiastic enough to lead Apple, which is an important element of the short- and long-term investment cases for Apple,” Mr Reitzes wrote in a research note to clients.

Although investors typically sell Apple stock after a launch event, he said the presentation should be seen as a “warm-up” for a “re-engaged Steve Jobs.” While Apple’s shares have doubled in value since the start of the year, they fell 0.9% on the day to $171.41 (£105).

Products: Mr Jobs did not dwell on the issue of his own health for very long. Minutes after the show kicked off, the Apple boss got down to business.

The chief executive debuted a new iPod Nano with a built-in video camera, FM tuner and voice recorder ranging from $149-$179 (£92-£110).

Mr Jobs called the Nano “the most popular music player in the world” with over 100m sold to date. The company revealed that as a whole, it has sold more than 220 million iPods and now commands 73.8% of the market compared to Microsoft’s 1.1%.

Apple also lowered the prices of existing iPods and introduced a new 32GB and 64GB iPod Touch that promises to run faster than previous models.

Mr Jobs then turned the spotlight on a revamped iTunes programme that includes app management, home sharing and the ability to buy lyrics, memorabilia and liner notes through an iTunes LP music feature.

“I think it’s really cool, but iTunes LP isn’t going to sell albums,” said analyst Michael Gartenberg of Interpret. Good music will sell albums. Still, it’s nice we are getting back some of the stuff we lost with the CD,” he told Wired.com. Mr Jobs said that iTunes is now the world’s number one music retailer with 100 million registered users.