The red warning light is flashing for the personal computer market.
Many stores in Tokyo's Akihabara and other electronic shopping districts have gone bankrupt or have been forced to close down due to a slowdown in demand for home PCs. One factor is the delay of sales of the Windows 98 operating system, the successor to Windows 95.
But there is a larger factor: Consumers have recently started to doubt the wisdom of buying PCs. Apparently, some consumers now believe personal computers are expensive and difficult to use and are unsure as to what uses they serve. PCs are, therefore, at a crossroads.