The latest report from analyst firm eTForecasts says increasingly popular smartphone sales now impact handheld sales - but will not take over completely.
The sales of "traditional" PDAs, or handhelds, slowed or declined in the last two years, according to a new report from eTForecasts. The analyst firm cites the soft economy as a major factor, but the growth of smartphones is also a contributing factor. When Smartphones are included in PDA sales as shown in the table below, the worldwide PDA demand did not decline in 2002, but saw a small sales increase.
According to the report, most of the smartphone demand has come in Europe, with smartphone likely to top 50% of total PDAs in 2003. Strong growth is also expected in Asia and the USA.
The Symbian OS platform is prevalent in Europe and leads the smartphone segment. There, mobile phone manufacturers benefit from the most extensive distribution channel network for smartphones, which favours Symbian OS-based devices in most regions. As PC and PDA manufacturers get on the smartphone bandwagon, eTForecasts expects Symbian OS will see stronger competition.
However, says the report, for Pocket PC or Palm OS devices to challenge Symbian OS, some of the leading mobile phone manufacturers and/or mobile network operators must embrace either of these.
"The demand for PDA functionality has not decreased, but the type of mobile device the customer wants is changing", says Dr. Egil Juliussen, the author of the report. "This trend lowered traditional PDA sales in several regional markets in 2002, but Smartphones sales made up for the decline."
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