CELL PHONES
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
» TV: Phones
LAPTOPS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
» TV: Laptops
CAMERAS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
» TV: Cameras
» infoSync TV » Review Center
» Gift guide » Expert guides
» RSS & Alerts » Ask The Editors
Home / News / Phones
PDA shipments dropBy Anthony Newman, Friday 30 January 2004
Gartner notes 5% decline in 2003; blames smartphones and powerful mobiles.

Research group Gartner has released a report detailing PDA shipments in 2003, finding that the number of units shipped declined 5.3% from 2002, totalling 11.5 million. The group placed the responsibility for this on the rise of smartphones encroaching into low-end PDA territory along with increasingly powerful mobile phones.

Both individuals and corporations seem to have found that the limited requirements of PIM and e-mail can be achieved just as well by a smartphone as by a more expensive PDA. This will, according to Gartner, hit Palm OS devices more strongly as a higher percentage of their users employ them for the most basic of functions. However, the report predicts an erosion of the Microsoft market share in 2005 as the enterprise feels the pull towards smartphones, away from the Pocket PC platform.

In contrast, Research In Motion posted extremely strong growth for its Blackberry handhelds, particularly in upgrades from older Blackberrys. RIM now claims nearly one million subscribers.

Gartner congratulated Hewlett-Packard for its wide range of new models in 2003, and palmOne for its successful Tungsten T3. However, it noted that the majority of demand lay with low-end models, perhaps due to price-pressure from Dell and other vendors. palmOne's market share slipped from 54.8% in 2002 to just 43.4% in 2003, marking the biggest decline in numbers. After RIM, Dell and HP posted the strongest growth.

For 2004, Gartner predict US shipments to be steady, despite the weak dollar, while European areas should see growth.
 
 
RECOMMENDED
Digital Frontier - Let's cut to the chase
 
iPhone 3G vs. Omnia vs. Touch Diamond
 
Bold vs. Xperia X1 vs. Touch Pro vs. E71
TOP STORIES
Hottest smartphones and cell phones coming in August
 
Six new phones are now shipping
 
Top 15 smartphones
Top 15 cell phones
 
Top 10 candybar QWERTY smartphones
 
Top 10 all-touch phones
CELL PHONE RESOURCE CENTER
Best phones
 
Expert guides
 
Ask the Editors
» Top 15
QWERTY phones
 
All-touch phones
 
Touchscreen phones
Business phones
 
Multimedia phones
 
Concept phones
3+ inch screen phones
 
Wi-Fi phones
 
More...
» Search (New!)
Search by cell phone features
» Manual comparison (New!)
Select up to 4 cell phones side-by-side
» By release
May 2008, June 2008, Q3 2008
» Top 15 by carrier
Unlocked, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Helio, Alltel
» Top 15 by user type
Average Joe, Business users, Calling addicts, Fashion conscious users, Globetrotters, High-res addicts, Internet addicts, Multimedia enthusiasts, Music aficionados, Outdoor enthusiasts, TV addicts, Video lovers, More...
» Top 15 by brand
Apple, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, BlackBerry, Samsung, Sony Ericsson Other
» Top 15 by platform
Palm OS, Symbian S60, Symbian UIQ, Windows Mobile
» Top 15 by cell phone type
Business smartphones, Multimedia smartphones
Consumer QWERTY phones, Multimedia phones
Concept phones
NOW IN PHONES
Virgin Mobile Arc review
 
Virgin Mobile Arc video review
 
Sony Ericsson W350 review
 
Sony Ericsson W350 video review
 
Sony Ericsson T700 unveiled
T-Mobile rolls out 3G in Las Vegas - HSDPA phones to follow
Motorola ROKR EM30, EM28, EM25 music phones unveiled
iPhone 2.0.1 software update
Next 25 stories
MUST READ
CELL PHONES
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
LAPTOPS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
CAMERAS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
MP3 players
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
INTERNET TABLETS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
GPS NAVIGATORS
HDTVs
CAMCORDERS
About us | Site map | How to advertise | Feedback | RSS Feeds | | Archive
Copyright 1999-2008 © infoSync World