Leading lights in the technology industry have received a boost after being hailed by US president Barack Obama.
In a speech to pupils at Wakefield High School in Virginia, broadcast live on cable television and the White House website, he encouraged a culture of creativity while indirectly paying tribute to Apple.
"Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine," he said.
Later in the same speech, there were also positive references to search engines and social media portals.
The president praised "students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other".
Criticism reserved for Xbox
However, Microsoft came in for some criticism as Obama urged parents to ensure children "don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox".
It is not the first time Obama has singled out Microsoft's games console for criticism – at an NAACP conference in June 2009, he urged parents to start "putting away the Xbox".
But while campaigning to become president, Obama ads appeared on Xbox 360 games Burnout Paradise and Madden NFL 09.
Obama is well-known in technology circles for being an enthusiastic early adopter, in marked contrast to predecessor George W Bush.
For example, he is one of the world's most famous users of Blackberries. But his wife was visibly irritated earlier this year when she caught him checking Blackberry messages during his daughter's football match.
Obama celebrates web 2.0 giants