Apple used its media event in San Francisco today to provide official updates on its app store offering, whilst the vendor also upgraded its TV service but appeared reluctant to join industry momentum uniting such services with apps. In just over two years since launch, Apple’s App Store has created a new business model for the mobile industry and now boasts 250,000 apps on offer and more than 6.5 billion downloads (that’s 200 apps every second). 25,000 of the total app offerings are specific to the company’s iPad tablet. 1.5 billion downloads were focused on games and entertainment applications to the iPod touch alone.

Meanwhile Apple has upgraded its relatively unsuccessful TV service, claiming it now “offers the simplest way to watch your favourite HD movies and TV shows on your HD TV for the breakthrough price of just US$99.” Apple TV users can choose from a large selection of HD movies to rent, including first run movies for US$4.99, and a selection of HD TV show episodes to rent for 99 cents. The rental model is in contrast to Apple’s previous failed attempt to persuade users to buy content. Apple TV also streams content from Netflix, YouTube, Flickr and MobileMe, as well as music, photos and videos from PCs and Macs to an HD TV. However, Apple CEO Steve Jobs didn’t show any apps running on the service, or any ability to display apps and games from an iPad on the TV. It therefore seems that, unlike its rivals such as Samsung, apps will not be part of Apple’s TV offering at least in the short-term.

Elsewhere at its event, Apple introduced iOS 4.1 (featuring bug fixes, high dynamic range photos, HD video uploads over Wi-Fi, and the consumer debut of Apple’s Game Center community). iOS 4.1 will be available next week as a free download for iPhone and iPod touch owners, although not the iPad. Steve Jobs also said that iOS 4.2 will arrive in November (including support for the iPad), offering multi-tasking, folders, Game Centre and AirPlay, which lets users stream audio, video and photos over WiFi to other devices. Apple also updated its range of iPods and released iTunes 10. iTunes10 features Ping, a service Jobs called “a social network all about music.”