News sources have confirmed the return of Apple’s Steve Jobs. Apple Inc. has also released a confirmation of the latest information. After a lengthy ordeal with cancer, Jobs has returned to work. But what does this mean for Apple (AAPL)?

Shortly after Jobs and Apple announced that he was stepping down as CEO for health reasons, Apple’s stock bottomed out at around $79 per share. The company was suffering mostly from the unfortunate recession scares in early January, and then the Jobs news compiled onto the slide.

Analysts and consumers were wary of the company’s success at such unprecedented times. Apple has always been characterized by their high margins on products and strict price control. The company was never considered to be a market recession company–one that would outlast tough markets.

Fortunately for investors, Apple’s stock made a steep recovery following the announcement, and even in the difficult economic times, was highly successful. Further updates of the iPhone and iPod lineup has continued to fuel high revenue growth.

All the while, Jobs was out of the picture. But now, today, Jobs is back. Apple’s stock finished down $0.47 to $141.97. Investors should begin to notice that while Jobs is a revolutionary figurehead, Apple isn’t dependent on him. The creative genius in Apple is diversified among the top executives, Jobs is just a piece of the puzzle.

We may not have heard the end of his battle with cancer and his general health, but we’re still hoping for the best. Nonetheless, whether he is or isn’t present, Apple will still be the highly successful, creative company that we love.

The iPhone 3G is days away from being released. The blogosphere has gone wild with speculation of some new releases and updates to product software. Here’s a round-up of the latest rumors and news:

1. The iPhone 3G is set to launch on July 11th at 8:00AM worldwide. That means that the iPhone will be released simultaneously around the world in 22 countries at 8:00AM (for each respective time zone). Rumors have suggested that the early store opening is in relationship to the prolonged in-store purchase time associated with the activation (in the US).

2. The iPhone v2.0 firmware is set to be released at the same time as the iPhone 3G on July 11th, with the possibility that it may be delivered in an iTunes 7.7 update.

3. The iTunes 7.7 update, which is necessary to run the iPhone 3G, should come out with these releases and enable iTunes users to make App store purchases and downloads through the iTunes store interface.

4. The .Mac platform will officially be switching over to the MobileMe platform of products on July 9th at 6:00 PM PST. This number reflects the initial start time of the platform’s deployment, and says that the update could finish at 12:00 AM PST.

5. Last, but not least… The Apple Online Store is down right now. Rumors are circulating about a new MacBook product or the possibility of a public opening of the App Store. We’ll probably see tomorrow morning.

Today, Apple released a guided tour that shows all the ins and outs of the new iPhone 3G with version 2.0 firmware. From GPS to the App Store, the new iPhone is coming with a mighty upgrade.

iPhone 3G and V2.0 Firmware are to be released on July 11th, 2008.

Watch the guided tour here.

Sirius and XM Satellite Radio are fantastic platforms that offer wireless, satellite-based forms of radio. Unfortunately, the two companies haven’t prospered. They continue to suffer losses and subscription rate decreases. One of the major reasons has been the poor economy, but even more disruptive to these satellite companies has been the problem of user accessibility.

They have car receivers, home receivers, portable devices–You’d think they cover the whole gamut. But they haven’t really been successful at marketing their portable devices since they’ve been expensive, small storage capacity, and no universality between computer platforms (PC and Mac).

The iPhone has come along and made application development a booming tycoon of business opportunities. Fortunately for the satellite radio companies, a basic program was created to allow consumers to login to their satellite radio account (subscription required). From there, users can scroll through the entire list of satellite programming.

Download the program at: uSirius

iTunes 7.7 is only a few days from being released. A special pre-release version was seeded to developers tonight.

Use iTunes 7.7 to sync music, video, and more with iPhone 3G, and download applications from the iTunes Store exclusively designed for iPhone and iPod touch with software version 2.0 or later. Also use the new Remote application for iPhone or iPod touch to control iTunes playback from anywhere in your home — a free download from the App Store. — Source

So, in a free app, Apple will be giving users the ability to control Macs, Apple TVs, iTunes, etc. with the touch screen of the iPod Touch and iPhone. Look forward to this app coming with the next update of the iPhone firmware.

The iPhone is due to make a large international debut in only a couple of weeks. Alongside the rapidly approaching release date, Apple has just finished the iPhone 2.0 firmware and it has reached a state of “Golden Master”.

Golden Master means that this is the final version before shipment of the product and that it is ready for release. There may be online updates to come, but once the Golden Master is set, it’s final. Speculation over when v2.0 firmware will be released is unclear, but the consensus would suggest a simultaneous release with the new iPhone 3G on July 11th.

The 1st generation iPhone was said to cost approximately $226 for Apple to make. Now, iSuppli, a supply analysis group, is estimating that the iPhone will ring in at $173–a savings of $53 per iPhone.

Not too long ago another product analysis group estimated the cost of the new iPhone to be $100 per unit, but new evidence by the trusted iSuppli group seems to discount this previous rumor.

Costs associated with 3G, GPS, and other expensive components and royalties have kept the iPhone expensive, but Apple has made incredible steps towards making the iPhone affordable to a greater audience.

iSuppli analysts are quite confident that Apple will be able to bring costs down to $148 per unit by 2009.

While there are always a flurry of companies that grab the iPhone and rip it apart to size up all the product’s insides, there’s a company that’s already speculating. Their speculation puts the previous iPhone’s cost at around $170 for Apple, but is estimating that with deeper discounts, they’re making the new 3G version for about $100.

The number is just a rough estimate based on what the parts thought to be used may cost the company (hence it being quite speculative). There’s been a great amount of chatter about whether Apple’s earnings can sustain another price cut to the line, especially when it started at $599. There’s also a new theory that because the iPhone’s new price point is so low, it potentially could cannibalize the company’s own earnings with iPods.

Those things could materialize, but the $199 new price point is like saying 0% APR for 6 Months–it sucks you in (grabbing the new buyers that couldn’t spare $599), but it’s not like it’s free or cheap. AT&T still will be charging about $60 per month for the iPhone plan with data. It allows the regular iPod lines to continue to flourish. Then, the increased international exposure of the iPhone could increase general Mac hardware sales, a theory that would lead to major gains in Apple stock.

A recent article from TUAW has suggested that Apple should expect to “sell a boatload” of new iPhones with the combining price point and popularity. Less than a month until the new iPhone 3G is released, and it seems like it will be the most popular release yet.