'America Lost A Genius'

NEW YORK, KOMPAS.com - Steve Jobs’ death robbed the United States of a “genius” on a par with Einstein, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who made billions of dollars with his own high-tech media company, said Wednesday.

Speaking after the Apple co-founder died at age 56, Bloomberg said: “Tonight, America lost a genius who will be remembered with Edison and Einstein, and whose ideas will shape the world for generations to come.”

Bloomberg said Jobs was able to see the future and “brought it to life long before most people could even see the horizon.” Before becoming mayor, Bloomberg became a billionaire through the financial data and news company bearing his name.

He said that New York’s government, ranging from police to construction inspectors, “harnessed Apple’s products to do their jobs more efficiently and intuitively.”

While South Korea’s Samsung Electronics said Thursday it was saddened by the death of Apple Steve Jobs, calling him a “great entrepreneur” with an innovative spirit. The two firms are embroiled in a bitter patent row but Samsung chief G.S.

Choi said: “Chairman Steve Jobs introduced numerous revolutionary changes to the information technology industry and was a great entrepreneur.”

“His innovative spirit and remarkable accomplishments will forever be remembered by people around the world,” he said in a statement, adding the Korean company was saddened by Jobs’ death.

Jobs died in the United States at the age of 56 on Wednesday after losing a long battle with cancer. Samsung, the world’s number two mobile phone maker, has been competing against Apple in global smartphone and tablet computer markets led by the US technology giant’s iconic iPhone and iPad.

The two rivals have launched a series of patent lawsuits around the world, accusing each other of infringing technologies and designs of their smartphones and tablet PCs. Samsung said Wednesday it would seek a ban in France and Italy on sales of Apple’s newly released iPhone 4S, in the latest round of legal battles underway in nations including Australia, Germany and the Netherlands.