Sales of handheld computers are slowing DOWN as people switch to
converged devices or smart phones, according to new figures from
market analyst IDC.
Results from IDC’s latest European Mobile Device Market Tracker
survey show the overall market for mobile devices – including
standalone personal digital assistants and converged devices – in
western Europe grew by 91% in the second quarter of 2005.
Shipments of mobile devices reached 3.4 million units compared
with 1.8 million units in the second quarter of 2004.
Demand for standalone handhelds remained steady, with a growth
of 7% against the same period last year.
But IDC found that sustained competition from converged devices
was hitting the standalone PDA’s overall share of the mobile
devices market. PDAs accounted for just 21% of shipments in the
second quarter of 2005, down from 37% in the same period of
2004.
Leading PDA manufacturers Hewlett-Packard and Palm also saw
their market share continue to fall amid stiff competition from
integrated GPS devices.
In the converged devices segment of the market data-centric
rather than voice-based smart phones showed the most significant
growth in sales, helped by consumer demand for media-oriented
devices and growing interest in the technology from businesses.