BEIJING - Chinese Apple fans expressed grief and sadness Thursday over the death of entrepreneur Steve Jobs, while also voicing an ardent hope that China will produce a similar visionary in the future.

Apple fans placed flowers, photos of Jobs, cards with handwritten messages and even real apples outside of Apple stores in Beijing and Shanghai on Thursday to commemorate the legendary businessman.

Jobs' death ranked as the day's most popular topic on Sina Weibo, the country's most popular microblogging site, garnering more than 63 million posts by Thursday evening, just hours after Apple announced the news.

"I was really shocked when I woke up and heard the news in the morning.It is like a giant star falling from the sky," microblogger "Wei Jinhuan" wrote on Sina Weibo.

"His creativity and imagination astonished the whole world. His death means the end of an era," microblogger "Li Rong" wrote.

"I will never see him introducing his new products in simple dress and with powerful and enlightening words. Alas!" user "Mo Xiaowei" posted.

In a survey conducted by Sina Weibo, 53 percent of more than 70,000 respondents said they were "shocked" upon first hearing the news of Jobs' death. Another 35 percent said they were "sad," 21 percent said "regrettable but expected" and 17 percent said that they "could not believe it."

Jobs, the co-founder and former CEO of Apple Inc., died in the United States at the age of 56 on Wednesday after losing a long battle with cancer.

His death came just one day after Apple launched the latest version of its popular smartphone, the iPhone 4S.

"I now understand why the iPhone 5 can only be called iPhone 4S, because that stands for 'iPhone for Steve.' I will buy a new iPhone 4S to remember Jobs," microblogger "Xue Qi" said.

"Your products changed the world and your thoughts influenced a generation. May you rest in peace," Li Kaifu, former Google China president and current CEO of Beijing-based technology incubator Innovation Works, wrote on Sina Weibo.

WHERE IS CHINA'S STEVE JOBS?

From his days working in a garage with Steve Wozniak in the 1970s to the debut of the industry-changing iPod and iPhone, Jobs has garnered respect and changed the lives of millions since co-founding Apple in 1977.

"Jobs' life best demonstrates the soul of the IT industry: innovation," said Fang Xingdong, board chairman of the Beijing-based IT think tank Chinalabs.com.

"I believe no one has done better than Jobs in innovation so far," he said.

In the second quarter of this year, China, for the first time ever, surpassed the United States as the world's largest computer market. China is also home to the world's largest number of registered web users, with an online population of 485 million.

However, the country has yet to produce an iconic visionary on the level of Jobs, a fact that Chinese netizens have widely discussed since the news of his death first broke.

"We pay respect to Jobs because he devoted his whole life to making breakthroughs and innovations, which all Chinese people should learn from," microblogger "Heng Xiaoha" wrote on Sina Weibo.

The Chinese government has worked to encourage independent innovation in recent years, with senior leaders, including President Hu Jintao, calling on the country's tech wizards to make breakthroughs.

Fang believes that while China doesn't necessarily lack an enthusiasm for innovation, Chinese entrepreneurs can sometimes appear too eager for instant success and quick profits.

"That hampers innovation, to some extent," he said.

Wang Songzan, a computer instructor at the Shanghai-based China Welfare Institute Children's Palace, said Jobs' personal experience can provide inspiration for the country's parents and teachers.

"Jobs' success depended largely on self-learning and he had a strong curiosity for many things," he said.

"That tells Chinese parents and teachers: do not strangle the interests of children, because curiosity is the source of all inventions," he said.

"The soul of Jobs is wandering in the sky and looking for the next foothold. Today's China already has the soil for innovation and will see its own Jobs in the future," microblogger "Jin Sha Jiang Shang De Feng" wrote on Sina Weibo.