Apple today introduced Folders for the iPhone OS 4 (iPhone 4.0) Home Screen/app launcher interface.

To use Folders, you start by tapping and holding an icon until it jiggled (like you would to move or delete it). You then drag one icon on top of another and they combine to form a Folder — a bordered icon with small versions of the contained icons. Folders will name themselves based on the category of the apps you drag into them, or you can edit the name yourself.

Folders behave like any other app — you can move them around and even place them in the dock for any-screen access. When you tap one, the screen splits open and slides vertically apart to reveal a grid of the apps inside.

This increases the number of apps you can store on your iPhone’s 11 Home Screen pages from 180 to over 2000.

But it’s still an app launcher at its core, of course. Though, when asked about Widgets Steve Jobs did say Apple implemented them early on in Mac OS X as Dashboard, and simply hadn’t had time to do anything with them on the iPhone. (Yet?)

So, does this solve your app managements issues? Or did you need more power? More eye-candy?

Pics and video after the break, or read our complete iPhone OS 4 preview for more!

YouTube link

UPDATE: Boy Genius has linked to screenshots from China via Germany that show Last.fm and “social”. Real or Fake? You decide!

Boy Genius is back with more from the same iTunes 9 leaking source, this time with details on iTunes 9 social network integration and plans for an Apple “social app”.

The Apple “social app” is rumored to be some kind of consolidator that would bring all your other social network services together (BGR says similar to Yahoo’s OneConnect — yeah, we don’t use it either). Whether it’s a desktop app, iPhone app, or both wasn’t made clear.

It’ll let you share what music you’re listening to, connect with “friend’s friends” (expand your network and meet new people?) and push status updates to your other networks.

Apple began integrating with Facebook and Flickr in iPhoto ’09 demonstrated at Macworld 2009, but rather than simple data sharing or publishing, this sounds like Apple might actually be “getting” social media?

Lastly, the ability to organize iPhone apps in iTunes is said to include the ability to:

sort your applications alphabetically, by genre, date added, and of course, custom arrangement.

Speculation remains high that, if indeed Apple is set to release iTunes 9, it will be at the annual iTunes and iPod Music event in September alongside the new iPod touch, rumored to get a camera this time around.

(Not going to mention Kevin Rose’s iTunes 9 wish list from last year, b’okay?)

BGR reports a source saying Apple is readying iTunes 9, which will include support for visually organizing apps on the iPhone, and for playing back Blu-Ray media.

iPhone 1.1.3 introduced the ability to add icons (limited to WebClips at the time, expanded to native apps with iPhone 2.0), and to move them around by tapping and holding until they began to jiggle. While this works well enough for a few icons once and a while, it makes totally re-arranging the 11 home screens made available in iPhone 3.0 a tad laborious. Suggestions for, even concept videos of, adding a more robust solution via iTunes have been floating around the web for a while now and would be a welcome addition indeed.

Steve Jobs had famously called Blu-Ray a “bag of hurt” due to licensing, but changes in those licenses and perhaps Apple’s priorities — which previously seemed to want to promote their own download service over physical media — could make it happen. Unless there’s more expansive and integrated support for the “digital copy” feature as well — where an iPhone/iPod version of the movie is included on the disk — it’s not really an iPhone friendly addition.

Also rumored were some kind of Twitter/Facebook/Last.fm social features.

Last year Apple debuted iTunes 8 at their annual iTunes and iPod music event in September (after it was heavily leaked by Kevin Rose). If there is an iTunes 9 on the roadmap, makes sense we’d see it this September along with the rumored iPod touch 3,1.

Anyone more interested in it now?