|
    Handheld Shipments Drop Another 40%Posted By: Ryan Kairer on Friday, November 09, 2007 1:56:07 PM
The worldwide handheld device market posted its fifteenth consecutive quarter of decline in shipments, signaling either vendor intent to scale back production or exit from market entirely, or both. According to IDC's Worldwide Handheld QView report, vendors shipped 728,894 handheld devices in 3Q07, approximately 1.5% more than the previous quarter but 39.3% less from the same quarter a year ago.
"The handheld device market has been under constant pressure, with mobile phones and converged mobile devices appropriating many of the handheld's salient attributes," says Ramon T. Llamas, research analyst with IDC's Mobile Device Technology and Trends team. "Handheld product portfolios have suffered as vendors have reallocated their production resources." "However, the handheld device market may be down, but is not necessarily out. The handheld still has a loyal, if shrinking, following in developed economies, especially among enterprise users. In emerging markets, the appeal of the handheld devices seems anchored in the fact that, in the absence of a monthly service plan, it has a lower total cost of ownership compared to mobile phones and/or the converged mobile device." Top Five Handheld Device VendorsPalm remained the clear leader in the handheld market even though it has not launched a new model for over two years. However, over the same period, the company has released nearly a dozen new Treo converged mobile devices. After having retired the LifeDrive, Palm is relying on its Z22, TX, and Tungsten E2 handheld devices to represent the company. HP retained the No. 2 position during the quarter, still trailing Palm but far outpacing any of the remaining vendors. In September, HP announced plans for several new devices including two handheld devices - the 111 Classic Handheld and the 211 Enterprise Handheld - as well as the iPAQ 610 Business Navigator, a converged mobile device. Mio has standardized GPS capability on all of its handheld devices, and by leading with that value proposition, the company has experienced continued growth. Recently Mio announced two new additions to its portfolio, the P360 and the P560. The P560 boasts WiFi as one of its key features. Fujitsu-Siemens climbed back into the top five rankings after a one quarter hiatus, and stayed far ahead of the remaining vendors to claim the No. 4 spot as its own. Helping to drive volumes were its C Series and N Series devices shipped into EMEA, and recently the company has begun to offer a competing converged mobile device with its Pocket LOOX T Series device. Sharp narrowly stayed ahead of a crowded group of other vendors to take the number five spot during the quarter, and suffered the largest year-on-year decline in the group. All of its shipments were recorded in Japan, and they accounted for nearly two-thirds of all handheld devices shipped to that country. While Sharp's business has floundered, its success in the mobile phone and converged mobile device segments has propelled it to the No. 1 position in Japan.
Top Five Handheld Device Vendors, Shipments, Market Share, and Year-On-Year
Growth, 3Q07
Source: IDC Worldwide Handheld QView, November 9, 2007 Notes:
More Stories Like This...  Worldwide Smartphone Sales Grew 16% Last Quarter Palm Gains Slightly in US Smartphone Market Share Motricity Announces Layoffs, Plans to Sell PocketGear Survey Places Palm Well Behind RIM Among Enterprise Users PDA Market Continues Contraction, Palm Remains on Top Smartphones Showed Strong Growth in 2007 More articles about Mobile Industry
Article Comments
49 total comments The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. PIC is not responsible for them in any way. login or register for free in order to post comments.
 No crap
Well they're not making any handhelds someone would want to buy. So no crap sales are falling. All the people who WOULD buy handhelds are crying out for what they want. If manufacturers aren't going to produce that, then what do they expect?  RE: No crap
I still use and love my T|3. Best Palm ever made, without a doubt. Too bad. Too sad. Burma Shave. RE: No crap
Just wait a year. In 2008 the Ipod Touch will be topping that chart and will be the only one with + growth. With 3rd party applications comming...
15 quarters = almost 4 years = release of Tungsten T|3
Go back *16* quarters and re-read the Palm infocenter review of the Palm Tungsten T|3 http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=6073 Is it a coincidence that this was arguably Palm's best PDA and PDA sales have declined ever since?
RE: 15 quarters = almost 4 years = release of Tungsten T|3OctoberJones @ 11/10/2007 7:57:32 AM #
Exactly right. I'd jump at the chance to replace my T|3 with something better, but there is nothing better. I'd buy a new PDA at least every other year if there was a significant improvement, but Palm evidently doesn't want my money. I suppose I'll buy a TX when the T|3 finally dies, but that purchase will be out of necessity, not delight. RE: 15 quarters = almost 4 years = release of Tungsten T|3
you can't go home again. it's soon 2008. get a smartphone and stop living in the past. RE: 15 quarters = almost 4 years = release of Tungsten T|3
Not everyone works the same way. I could move to a "smartphone" if it runs an OS that will run all of my PalmOS apps on a 320x480 screen. Til then, I need my TX (and T3 backup). Still, I'd rather have my phone seperate. Palm has let us down. If they gave a crap and released improved models, I think the PDA would still be a popular device. I'm still hoping they wake up before it's too late - though I'm sure as RE: 15 quarters = almost 4 years = release of Tungsten T|3
Smartphone?? You call that an improvement? Yes I want to go BACK to a 320X320 screen. Talk about calling something dead and then tell you to get something that's even older. Look at the iPod Touch, that's what we want Palm. You smartphone fanatics can get the iPhone if that's what floats your boat so much. 320X320 is dead people. Move on. RE: 15 quarters = almost 4 years = release of Tungsten T|3
I've got my second T|3 right here beside me, and have been waiting for a better model to come out on the market for way too long. I've been considering all kinds of alternatives lately, but haven't left the PalmOS behind (yet). I'm stuck on Datebk6, frankly. Meanwhile, my 3 yr old cellphone is crying out to be replaced, so I'm not sure how much longer I will put off the upgrade. Palm Inc., are you paying any attention??!! RE: 15 quarters = almost 4 years = release of Tungsten T|3
320X320 is dead people. Move on. I almost decided to change my tagline and quote you on that one. Well said. Thinking about Vista? Think again: http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.txt Want an alternative? Try this: http://www.ubuntu.com/ or http://www.mepis.org/ RE: 15 quarters = almost 4 years = release of Tungsten T|3
>>>320X320 is dead people. Move on. That's the ticket! Let's get all nasty and retro and go 160x160 again! Hmmm... not enough caffeine for proper brain function again. RE: 15 quarters = almost 4 years = release of Tungsten T|3
That's the ticket! Let's get all nasty and retro and go 160x160 again! Whaaaat? I'm talking about going from a 320X480 (TX,T5,T3,Lifedrive) back to a 320X320 Smartphone screen. What the ell you talking about? RE: 15 quarters = almost 4 years = release of Tungsten T|3
Ahhh I see now. PDA's Past and Present: iPod Touch ???? Maybe soon. Palm - IIIxe, Vx, M500, M505, Tungsten T, TX Handspring - Edge, Platinum, Deluxe Sony - SJ22 Apple - MP110, MP2000, MP2100 RE: 15 quarters = almost 4 years = release of Tungsten T|3
The PDA dead? I've got a Treo 680, and if there were a standalone PDA I wanted, I'd divorce my PDA from my phone in a heartbeat. I'm really not experiencing much synergy between the phone and the "smart", besides the fact that when one breaks/crashes/freezes, so does the other. Give me a tiny phone that can search my PDA's phonebook, and a pocketable PDA that lets me text through my phone, and I'll be happy. Hawkins was right about something: the smartphone isn't ever gonna be what we want it to be. RE: 15 quarters = almost 4 years = release of Tungsten T|3
Amen!! And don't forget the inability of Palm to get anything other than a SSS (small square screen) into their smartphones! RE: 15 quarters = almost 4 years = release of Tungsten T|3
"Exactly right. I'd jump at the chance to replace my T|3 with something better, but there is nothing better. I'd buy a new PDA at least every other year if there was a significant improvement, but Palm evidently doesn't want my money.
I suppose I'll buy a TX when the T|3 finally dies, but that purchase will be out of necessity, not delight." How about the Palm T6? Oh wait...
Memo to Palm
Colligan: Why aren't our PDAs selling? Users: Because they're CRAP! Colligan: Nahhhh. That's not it. BTW: Colligan, RESIGN! RE: Memo to Palm
pdas are a small, tiny, niche, dying market. it's soon 2008. the world has moved on - and so should you. RE: Memo to PalmVampireLestat @ 11/10/2007 11:58:12 AM #
Let's get back to basics here. A smartphone is a handheld. What 'handheld' consumers wants are devices that are the size of the iTouch, and contain as many non-restrictive services in it as possible. I expect all handhelds to become the size and shape of the iTouch and will all eventually contain cell, voip, wifi, gps, rf, ir, bt, wimax, and a whole new generation of scanning technologies e.g., weather, echo, motion detection, heat sensing, radioactivity, sound, radar, blood sugar, colors, etc. and programs will become much smarter at using that new environmental data. Expect devices to start beaming laser keyboards on any surface (that tech already exists but will evolve dramatically soon); say goodbye to the Foleo. Cell tech is nothing but a drop in the bucket in terms of what awaits handheld technology. Current cell towers will be obsolete and replaced by much superior wave communications. All devices will be wirelessly connected to the Internet. Networking of data, knowledge and people is the futur. Handhelds are contributing and are pivotal to the pseudo-borgification of the human species (scary huh? hehe not if you retain your individuality ;-) Anything that fits in your pocket and does computing tasks is called a handheld. A Treo, a TX, a Zire, A Centro, they are all handhelds. RE: Memo to PalmVampireLestat @ 11/10/2007 12:06:13 PM #
btw, the Canadian dollar is sustained at well over 1$ USD, Palm is still savagely gouging Canadian customers by selling the Treo 680 at a crazy 499$ CAD while still selling to Americans at 399$ US. The 680 should be like 370$ CAD. Things like this just show what kind of an out of touch, anti-consumer-friendly company Palm really is. I don't expect Palm to amount to anything much in the big scheme of things in the mobile industry of the future. They blew many great opportunities technology and market wise, and now they are just blatantly ignoring capitalist market rules. So according to market rules, consumers should simply stop buying Palm products; unless of course Canadians still feel that the 680 is still a value at 499$, which I doubt because their competitors are dropping prices in response to the currency value. RE: Memo to Palm
>>>btw, the Canadian dollar is sustained at well over 1$ USD,
>>>Palm is still savagely gouging Canadian customers by selling the Treo 680 at a crazy 499$ CAD while still selling to Americans at 399$ US. >>>The 680 should be like 370$ CAD Welcome to the world of False Profits. It cooks their bottom line so Wall Street is all smiles.
apples and oranges
This is such a silly way to categorize.
It's like looking at 8-tracks, LPs, or Cassette sales and saying "doom, doom, doom." All along people were using music, but because of corporate design changes and decisions about whether to market certain hardware designs, of course sales of different conveyances will be affected. People who want to use the PalmOS can purchase overpriced, outdated and underspec'd PDAs or sell their soul to the phone carriers and get a tiny-screened Treo for their PIMs. If you are counting strictly-defined "PDAs" and leaving out the smartphones that many are buying to replace them, then what's the point of these polls other than to further keep PDA evolution stymied?
DevicesTimothy Rapson @ 11/11/2007 8:02:15 AM #
I am sitting here with my five friends. I actually have an Axim X51v sitting 18 inches away on my desk. I use it to surf and word process. There is a Samsung cheapy camera somewhere around here. I have a Palm TE2 sitting next to the Axim. I carry it all the time for Diddlebug. My wife just bought me a cute little Tracphone yesterday. It is there with its nice vibrate feature that Palm seems to find impossible to make available. It cost $13.50. I have 80 minutes airtime on it that cost $20. Because Plaxo, Activsync, Palm Desktop, Outlook, and some evil witches spell give me as many as 5 entries for each of my friends I gave up and bought a little paper address book. I am thinking of buying a Nokia 810 for surfing but it lacks the word processing of the Axim, the camera no longer swivels and the screen is hardly bigger than my Axim. Probably won't go there. WHY IN THE WORLD can't Palm just make something that can give me back a pocket to keep my keys in? It's INSANE PALM. RE: DevicesVampireLestat @ 11/11/2007 8:17:56 AM #
That is what happens when a company splits, re merges, sells its OS + brand, then re buys it, and starts selling a competing OS (WM). RE: Devices
>>>I actually have an Axim X51v sitting 18 inches away on my desk. I use it to surf and word process. You have my deepest condolences. RE: DevicesAdamaDBrown @ 11/12/2007 2:20:27 PM #
Mike, you ever owned an X51v? There's a reason it has a cult following to rival or beat that of the T3. RE: Devices
Battlestar Galactica Captain (hey, congrats on making it to Earth!!), I've used PPC. Axim is just PPC with VGA. Meh. RE: Devices
If you have deep pockets, then you should pick up an old NX series Clie. Those things were absolute beasts at text entry. My hands never cramped up from the keyboard or Decuma Handwriting Recognition, and the thing was a monster. Yes, it was large. But damn did I get a lot of work done on that thing a few years ago. You can find them on ebay for $70 with a fresh battery. The battery on mine lasts 15 seconds on a full charge, and the camera is completely shot (seems like a poorly contacting cable - I'll open it up and take a look), but other than that, it's four years old and can still kick some ass. Alternatively, I could use it as a brick to break and enter into cars. RE: Devices
Battlestar Galactica Captain (hey, congrats on making it to Earth!!) They already did: Don't forget to shield your eyes. Exposure for longer than a few seconds may cause blindness. RE: DevicesAdamaDBrown @ 11/12/2007 11:33:38 PM #
I've used PPC. Axim is just PPC with VGA. Meh. That's rather like saying that a Lamborghini is just a car with a nice engine. On a slightly more on-topic note, has anyone else eyeballed the Android demo video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FJHYqE0RDg&eurl=http://code.google.com/android/ They showed it off on some unidentified big-screen prototype unit, probably the thing referred to as the "Dream." Too close of a shot to see if it's any unit we're familiar with. But among the features showed off were Open GL ES support, WebKit-based browser similar to the iPhone's, and threaded SMS. Looks interesting. I'm not sure how I feel yet about the direction they're going with the interface. RE: Devices
^^ I watched that this morning. Looked v. nice, actually - clean and simple, and I especially liked the way the incoming SMS briefly scrolled across the status bar at the top of the screen. Nice touch. Tim I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight. Treo 270 ---> Treo 650 ---> Crimson Treo 680 RE: DevicesSeldomVisitor @ 11/13/2007 6:30:37 AM #
> ...Nice touch... But much MUCH more interesting is, if you DIDN'T like that particularly well, YOU can change it to the way you would want. Just a small matter of programming. (...) RE: Devices
>>>Decuma Handwriting Recognition Break my heart by bringing that up. The program was sold to another company that never updated it for recent flavors of PalmOS. I really liked using it too. Another LOST OPPORTUNITY for Palm. They should have acquired the damned thing. (Just like they should have acquired that Russian HWR that MS eventually EXCLUSIVELY licensed for PPC: Calligrapher!) RE: Devices
>>>They already did:
>>>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwuUgQUywSU >>>Don't forget to shield your eyes. Exposure for longer than a few seconds may cause blindness. Doctor Zee landed. He works on skin now.
Dude! Look what Dell did for ME!
Dell Dude Now Tequila Dude at Tortilla Flats http://nymag.com/daily/food/2007/11/dell_dude_now_tequila_dude_at.html (Gekko hops into his Ford Pinto to drive sleeplessly into NYC for an autograph and photo. Post it here, Gekko!)
Only the first 40 comments are displayed with the article.
|
 Special Deals
Shop at Amazon and help support PalmInfocenter
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
PalmInfocenter.com is not affiliated with or endorsed by Palm Inc, Access or PalmSource in any way.
Any use of the word Palm is for discussion purposes and is a registered trademark of Palm Inc.
Unauthorized reproduction of content is strictly forbidden.
© MobileInfocenter.com, all rights reserved.
Why should handhelds be any different?
For that matter, I didn't buy my cellphone(s) either (though I locked myself into a 2-year service contract for them, gotta admit).