The visionary co-founder of Apple - regarded as the mastermind behind an empire of products that revolutionised computing, telephony and the music industry - died of a rare form of pancreatic cancer in California at the age of 56. He stepped down in August as chief executive of the company he set up in 1976 with his childhood friend Steve Wozniak.
Apple shares are now trading 3.5% lower at €273, after hitting a low of €270 in Frankfurt. The shares are not traded in London. They are expected to open lower when Wall Street opens at 2.30pm London time.
Apple was briefly the most valuable company in the world in the summer, knocking oil giant Exxon Mobil off the top spot. Revenues have soared from $7.1bn (£4.6bn) in 1997 to $65.2bn a year now.
Jobs was ousted from the company in 1985 and went on to buy animation studio Pixar, before returning to Apple in 1997. It was near bankruptcy then and worth just $2bn. But then it came up with the first iMacs, and in 2001 the first iPods appeared.
Social networking rival and close friend of Jobs, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg posted this message on his wall, "Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you."
"I'm truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs' death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work," wrote Microsoft founder Bill Gates on his blog.
"Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely."
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer added, "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."
"Today the world lost a visionary leader, the technology industry lost an iconic legend, and I lost a friend and fellow founder" writes Michael Dell, CEO of Dell in a statement issued by his firm. "The legacy of Steve Jobs will be remembered for generations to come. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to the Apple team."
"We are deeply saddened by the news of Steve Jobs' passing. Many of us have grown up with the products he was instrumental in creating," added Nokia. "His influence touches us not just in our working lives, but in many aspects of what we do day to day - the movies we watch, the computers we write with and the phones we use. For that we are grateful. Our thoughts are with Steve Jobs' family and friends."
President Obama and the First Lady posted a statement to the White House web site. "Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve 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," said the President.
"Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world. The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Steve's wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him.
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