Chinese web users hail Steve Jobs as a ‘god’

The resignation of Apple chief executive Steve Jobs has triggered an outpouring of praise from China’s millions of Internet users, with some hailing the visionary co-founder as a “god”.

Jobs’ shock decision to step down from the helm ranked as the most discussed topic on Chinese Twitter-like sites and many web users said his departure would rip the “soul” out of the high-tech gadget maker.

“Jobs is the god we worship, I cannot imagine what Apple will be without him,” Lei Jun, founder of Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi, wrote on Sina’s micro-blogging service Weibo, which by early Friday had been swamped with 2.5 million posts on a special page dedicated to the news.

Jobs, who underwent an operation for pancreatic cancer in 2004 and a liver transplant in 2009, said on Wednesday he was stepping down as chief executive to be replaced by chief operating officer Tim Cook.

The 56-year-old said he could no longer meet the “duties and expectations” of running what is the world’s second most-valuable company after oil giant ExxonMobil.

An online survey by Sina found 64 per cent of the 33,753 respondents believed Jobs’ decision to quit would have a “huge” impact on Apple, whose iPod, iPhone and, most recently, iPad tablet have been hugely popular in China.

Many die hard fans in China — which has the world’s largest online population with 485 million users — queue for days to get their hands on the latest products.

Apple said its second quarter revenue in greater China — an area including Taiwan and Hong Kong — reached US$3.8 billion, six times that seen in the same period last year, making the region a key driver behind the company’s record results.

Source AFP