Apple iPod Firmware 3.1 is out now and available for download, the major update to the core operating-system features some pretty exciting improvements like ability to manage your iPod Touch applications icons and screens via iTunes 9, the update is free for all iPhone and iPod Touch users except iPod Touch users currently having any firmware version older then 3.0 - they are required to pay an upgrade fee of $4.95 to get this latest OS upgrade and will get prompted by this screen when accessing iTunes.

Luckily, as previously done we can bypass this paid upgrade and get the latest iPhone OS 3.1 onto our devices using iTunes and iPod restore files as demonstrated next.

Finally, links to download iPod Touch and iPhone OS 3.1 are live and users can download them right now either automatically via iTunes or direct links provided at end of the post, the update is free for all iPhone users and iPod Touch users having firmware version 3.0 - it seems iPod touch users having older firmware version needs to pay $4.95 for getting iPod Touch OS 3.1.

The software upgrade fixes quite some issues and bugs and introduces new features as follows.