Australia is like Apple before Jobs returned, says CSIRO's Larry Marshall

Australia is at a crossroads very like the one facing Apple when Steve Jobs returned to the company in1996 and transformed it from producer of software platforms and computers into the centre of a new digital industry, according to CSIRO's chief executive Larry Marshall.

Jobs returned to Apple in late 1996 as the company was facing a major competitive challenge from Microsoft and its Windows system. But instead of simply pushing Apple to catch up, Jobs re-imagined the entire marketplace.