Sony Corp. President and Chief Executive Howard Stringer described Steve Jobs as the “leading light” in the digital age.
Few companies have felt Apple’s rise more so than Japan’s Sony, whose iconic Walkman transformed the music listening experience in the 1980s. But it was slow to embrace the shift to digital downloads. The Walkman was no match for Apple’s iPod when it launched in 2001.
But Mr. Jobs himself was deeply influenced by Sony and Japan. He counted Sony founder Akio Morita as one of his mentors and was said to have been inspired by the Walkman.
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“The digital age has lost its leading light, but Steve’s innovation and creativity will inspire dreamers and thinkers for generations,” Mr. Stringer said in a one-sentence statement.
Person of great vision: Acer
Taiwan’s Acer Inc., a leading PC vendor, calls Steve Jobs a “person of great vision, innovation and leadership” as it remembered the late Apple founder’s “huge influence” on the industry.
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In a Thursday statement, Acer said Mr. Jobs’ death “is a great loss to Apple as well as the industry.”
Acer was once the world’s No. 3 PC vendor, but the advent of Apple’s iPads cut into PC sales and forced Acer to change directions to meet the challenge early this year.
Mr. Jobs’ death did not have an immediate impact on Hon Hai Industry Precision Co., a key producer of iPhones and iPads. Its share prices rose about 2 percent early Thursday on expectations that recent Apple price cuts will bolster the Taiwanese company’s revenues.
Innovative spirit: Samsung
Samsung is calling rival Steve Jobs an “innovative spirit” who will be remembered forever.
Samsung said Thursday that Mr. Jobs “introduced numerous revolutionary changes to the information technology industry.”
The announcement of Mr., Jobs’ death came a day after Samsung said it would file court injunctions in France and Italy seeking to block the sale of Apple’s latest iPhone. The smartphone giants are locked in an intensifying patent fight.
Samsung says Mr. Jobs’ “innovative spirit and remarkable accomplishments will forever be remembered by people around the world.”
The companies have been at odds since April when Apple took legal actions claiming Samsung’s Galaxy line of smartphones and tablet computers copy the iPhone and iPad.