Sony's abrupt replacement of its top leadership with Sir Howard Stringer, the first non-Japanese to run the consumer electronics conglomerate, highlights the challenges it faces from Apple Computer, Microsoft and other technology companies. The surprise resignations of Sony Chairman and CEO Nobuyuki Idei and Chief Operating Officer Kunitake Ando on Sunday clear the way for Stringer to make drastic changes to Sony's strategy. Stringer, a Welsh-born executive who ran Sony's U.S. entertainment operations and who doesn't speak Japanese, must figure out how to respond to a variety of threats. Those include Apple's iPod digital music player, Microsoft's Xbox video game console, Samsung's ascent in consumer electronics as well as China's production of low-cost DVD players and other gadgets.
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