| In Japan, PC almost passe
TOKYO - Masaya Igarashi wants $200 headphones for his new iPod Touch, and he's torn between Nintendo Co.'s Wii and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 game consoles. When he has saved up again, he plans to splurge on a digital camera or a flat-screen TV. There's one conspicuous omission from the college student's shopping list: a new computer. The PC's role in Japanese homes is diminishing, as its once-awesome monopoly on processing power is encroached by smart phones that act like pocket-size computers, advanced Internet-connected game consoles, and digital video recorders with terabytes of memory. "A new PC just isn't high on my priority list right now," said Igarashi, shopping at a Bic Camera electronics shop in central Tokyo. He said his three-year-old desktop model was "good for now." "For the cost, I'd rather buy something else," he said.
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