The European handheld market saw double-digit growth at the end of 2003, says a new report from IDC.
Research group IDC have released a new report stating that in 2003 the European handheld market experienced its first annual growth in unit shipments since 2000, with a record 2.6 million units representing a growth of 27.5%. In the final quarter alone 958,000 units shipped, representing a growth of 30% compared to Q4 2002.
IDC attribute the growth to a combination of factors, including promotions on GPS and camera bundles, heavy in-store marketing and overall increased retail presence. The reduced price of the Pocket PC segment attracted consumers, while enterprise customers displayed a renewed interest in mobile solutions, contributing to the dominance of Microsoft's Pocket PC platform in 2003's sales.
HP's market share grew to 37% thanks to a strong selection of handhelds, ensuring that they remained the largest single player, while Palm's shipments declined despite the Zire's popularity, resulting in a 30% market share and the number two spot.
Sony's shipments also declined 3.5% in the final quarter, which IDC attribute to a lack of retail presence and the company's focus on high-end handhelds. Tellingly, 80% of Sony's PDA sales came from the entry-level TJ25 and TJ35 models. Dell's Axim handhelds also had a strong year despite a lack of direct retail presence, largely thanks to bundling deals with its notebooks.
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