``With growth in the traditional personal-computer market slowing, Microsoft has been accelerating efforts to gain a presence in consumer electronics, which is still led by Japanese makers such as Sony and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., an Osaka-based company that makes Panasonic products.

But competition is intensifying in the electronics sector as rivals such as Samsung Electronics Co. of South Korea and other Asian companies threaten the past Japanese domination in the business.``

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2005-06-27-microsoft-toshiba_x.htm