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25 February 2004 - While shipments declined in 2003,
PDAs have continued their evolution into multimedia
and business data devices, reports In-Stat/MDR (http://www.instat.com).
The high-tech market research firm finds that most companies
in this industry are hoping for a rebound into positive
growth, with manufacturers still focusing on growing
the market by attracting new users and convincing current
users to upgrade. As the economy improves and IT spending
recovers, PDA manufacturers are also hoping for increased
shipments to corporations. While growth will only be
in the single digits, PDA shipments are forecasted to
have a 6.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over
the 2003-2008 period, with shipments forecasted to reach
10.8 million units in 2004.
"Even with poor economic conditions, there was
no shortage of PDA product introductions in 2003,"
says Cindy McCurley, an Industry Analyst with In-Stat/MDR.
"PPC devices got smaller, prices continued to decline,
and there was greater availability of products with
integrated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi from all manufacturers."
Some innovations for the year included the first VGA
displays, displays in portrait and landscape mode, and
new, smaller form factors.
In-Stat/MDR also reports the following highlights for
the past year:
In terms of unit shipments, palmOne still led in 2003,
with nearly twice the market share of Hewlett Packard
(HP), its closest rival.
In 2003, there were still 3 distinct tiers of products:
low-end, middle-range, and high-end devices, with most
companies offering devices with a range of functionality
and prices.
A range of multimedia features continued to receive
more attention from consumers and manufacturers
"The coming year will see advances in both software
and components, with lower unit prices, improved operating
systems, and increased attention to multimedia and wireless
functionality driving growth," says McCurley. "In
addition, component and device manufacturers are stressing
improved device usability as one of the main strategies
to grow the market."
The report, "The PDA Market: Can it Re-invent
Itself by Enhancing Usability?", compiles research
and analyses on the worldwide PDA market and provides
a review of the market in 2003 in terms of unit shipments,
vendor and operating system market shares and trends.
It also forecasts unit shipments, revenues, and regional
segmentation from 2003 to 2008, and depicts processor
market shares and revenue. The report provides profiles
of major vendors and their most recent products, and
discusses market trends, opportunities and challenges.
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