Apple visionary Steve Jobs dies

Jobs loses his fight against pancreatic cancer, leaving Apple as the world's most valuable company

Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder and former CEO, has died at the age of 56.

The front page of Apple's web site has been replaced with an image of its former chief, which links through to the following statement.

"Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being.

"Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple."

President Barack Obama led the tributes when news of Jobs' death broke on Wednesday.

"[Jobs 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," the president said in his statement.

"By building one of the planet's most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun."

In his tribute to his industry rival, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer wrote:

"I want to express my deepest condolences at the passing of Steve Jobs, one of the founders of our industry and a true visionary. My heart goes out to his family, everyone at Apple and everyone who has been touched by his work."

Jobs has been widely credited for much of Apple's success, with the company enjoying strong sales of its iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad during his tenure. It also changed the way humans interfaced with modern computing, with the successes of its mouse and graphical windows-based operating system.

Jobs had been on medical leave since January this year.