Sony, arguably Japan's most iconic brand, is turning to an American chief executive, Howard Stringer, to lead the company. Blame Sony's desperation on the iPod, Apple's hot digital music player that has single-handedly destroyed Sony's reputation as the world's foremost consumer electronics innovator. Hollywood once famously waged a legal battle against Sony's video recorders. That cultural divide separating hardware makers (who want to empower consumers with technology) from content providers (who are nervous about this empowerment) remains deep. Stringer's elevation seems to signal a profound choice by Sony to see entertainment as its future, possibly at the expense of the consumer electronics empire that became a symbol of postwar Japan's resurgence. When the IBM-Lenovo deal was announced, some argued during the ensuing discussion that the standalone PC has become obsolete, its traditional functions coopted by other devices. "PCs are passé; consumer electronics are the new edge", it was said. It is becoming increasingly clear that the new edge is in China and Korea, not Japan. | 
