Stores worldwide were gripped Friday by the now familiar scene of gadget geeks scrambling for Apple’s latest smartphone, the US giant’s first new release since the death of co-founder Steve Jobs. The iconic chief executive’s death brought a more somber air than usual to some of the Apple shops celebrating the launch of the iPhone 4S, with fans laying flowers alongside the long queues waiting to buy. The fresh loss of the iconic leader of Apple’s cultish following was expected to help drive opening weekend sales into the millions. Steve Wozniak, who started Apple with Jobs in a garage, camped out overnight at his local Apple Store in the California city of Los Gatos to be part of the iPhone 4S frenzy. Wozniak triumphantly walked out of the Apple Store caressing a new iPhone 4S and promptly told the gadget’s robotic assistant to ring up his wife. Apple users see themselves as an elite group, and their sense of community was boosted by the tributes for Jobs and by jokes about the debacle suffered by Apple rival Blackberry, whose mobile network was disrupted this week. Users say they love Apple’s Macintosh computers, iPhones, iPods and iPads because they have changed the way consumers relate to technology.
