US President Barack Obama joined an outpouring of tributes to Steve Jobs, calling the Apple co-founder a visionary and great American innovator.

'Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it,' Obama said of Jobs, who died on Wednesday.

The US President was joined by political, technology, entertainment and business leaders around the world in paying tribute to Jobs.

A selection:
   
Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder and chariman: 'Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor.'    

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO: 'Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.'

Bob Iger, CEO of Walt Disney Co.: 'Steve Jobs was a great friend as well as a trusted advisor. His legacy will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built. It will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed, and the culture he defined. Steve was such an 'original,' with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era. Despite all he accomplished, it feels like he was just getting started.'    

Mitt Romney, Republican presidential hopeful: 'Steve Jobs is an inspiration to American entrepreneurs. He will be missed.'    
Arnold Schwarzenegger, former California governor: 'Steve lived the California Dream every day of his life and he changed the world and inspired all of us.'    

Paul Allen, co-founder of Micorsoft: 'We've lost a unique tech pioneer and auteur who knew how to make amazingly great products. Steve fought a long battle against tough odds in a very brave way. He kept doing amazing things in the face of all that adversity. As someone who has had his own medical challenges, I couldn't help but be encouraged by how he persevered.'    
Michael Dell, CEO of Dell: 'Today the world lost a visionary leader, the technology industry lost an iconic legend and I lost a friend and fellow founder. The legacy of Steve Jobs will be remembered for generations to come.'   

Larry Page, CEO of Google:  'He was a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance. He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it. His focus on the user experience above all else has always been an inspiration to me.'    

Steve Case, founder of AOL: 'I feel honored to have known Steve Jobs. He was the most innovative entrepreneur of our generation. His legacy will live on for the ages.'   

Meanwhile, computer buffs and admirers of technology rushed to Apple shops from New York to Australia to mourn Steve Jobs, praising him as a visionary who transformed the daily activities of countless millions.

Flags outside Apple's headquarters at 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, California, flew at half mast as mourners gathered on a nearby lawn. Distraught Apple fans left flowers and a man played the bagpipes.

'In my mind there is no difference between him and a Pasteur,' said Chitra Abdolzadeh, a healthcare worker in Cupertino, in reference to French chemist Louis Pasteur.

Ben Chess, 29, an engineer at an Internet company and a former Apple intern, drove to the Apple HQ from San Francisco  after work to lay a bunch of flowers. 'It's the right thing to do,' he said.

Computer fans in China seemed particularly moved. 'I came here to see how they'll operate on the first day after they had lost Steve Jobs,' Jin Yi, 27, said in China's biggest Apple store in Shanghai, which opened last month. 'I also came here to mourn in my own way. It is such a pity today. He created these gadgets that changed people's perceptions of machines. But he did not manage to witness the last step in which, through his gadgets, people's lives can be effectively fused with these machines.' - Reuters