Apple fans gathered at stores around the world to mourn the death of Steve Jobs, in public expressions of condolence rarely if ever seen for a corporate chief executive. "So many fans gathered at the Santa Monica store that an Apple employee came from inside — where business continued uninterrupted — and politely asked the mourners to step back and not block the entrance. "Outside, bouquets of white flowers — traditional for mourning in China — had been left near the entrance. "Not everything from America is great," Yang said, "but everything from Apple is great. "Outside Apple stores, makeshift shrines appeared within hours of the announcement of Jobs' death. When a charismatic leader goes, things always change, but I'm sure that people will still buy Apple's products," he said. Just below, two candles burned aside three bouquets of flowers. ""It's really sad, he's gone," said Cunningham, 39, a private school administrative worker, teary and wearing a shirt with the blue Apple icon on it. The elementary school teacher said he owns a MacBook laptop, iPad , iPhone 4, iPod and iPod Touch. A lifelong Apple fan, Steve Streza was at work a few blocks away when he heard that the co-founder had died.
– Mac fans everywhere gathered online and at Apple stores offline last night, mourning the loss of Steve Jobs, reports the LA Times. There were flowers, memorabilia, and even a bagpipe player at the company headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., where the company flags flew at half-staff. At an Apple store in Pasadena, a person left a white rose and a red apple with "bye" carved into it. "Steve Jobs was one of the great inventors, certainly of our time," said the owner of a graphics design firm, adding that he came to the Santa Monica store "just to pay homage." Fans gathered outside Apple stores all over the world, although sometimes the media outnumbered mourners, the Wall Street Journal notes. Even in Beijing, mourners placed flowers and photos of Jobs in front of the main Apple store. One fan at the Beijing store said he would buy an iPhone 4 in memory of Jobs. "It would mean 4 Steve," he said, adding, "this is truly the end of an era." At the Ginza Apple store in Tokyo, a man gave staff a bouquet of white lilies. "I of course love Apple products, but I really admired Steve Jobs," he said. "He thought of products appealing to everyone—men, women and children. It excited everyone."