Customers bite into new Apple iPhone

The release of any new Apple product tends to be an event.

But in the wake of company founder Steve Jobs’ death 10 days ago, even a mild update to an Apple product can draw thousands of customers from coast to coast.

The Apple stores at Fashion Island in Newport Beach and South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa were no exception. The Apple faithful lined up at both locations to purchase an iPhone 4S, a mild update of the existing iPhone.

Even by 12:30 p.m., there were still customers in a roped-off area waiting to get into the Apple Store at South Coast Plaza.

The new iPhone comes with a new voice-command system, Siri, and links to iCloud, which “stores your music, photos, documents and more and wirelessly pushes them to all your devices,” according to Apple’s website.

And the phone is now available in a favorite color for Apple products — white.

AT&T Verizon and Sprint provide cellular service for the phones, which are also Wi-Fi enabled.

Retail prices start at $199.

The local Apple stores also mourned the loss of Jobs. After his death, customers left notes and, of course, apples.

dailypilot@latimes.com

Twitter: @dailypilot