| Windows Mobile surpasses Palm OS in 2003 European PDA sales |
Jan. 23, 2004
Technology analyst firm IDC reports the 2003 Western European handheld device market experienced its first annual growth in unit shipments since 2000. Additionally, Windows Mobile based Pocket PC shipments grew over 70% in 2003 to overtake Palm OS based products, which IDC attributes to a renewed interest in mobile solutions from large and medium enterprises.
According to IDC's latest preliminary data, a strong fourth quarter boosted shipments to a record 2.6 million units in 2003, representing growth of 27.5%. Shipments for handhelds in Western Europe during 4Q03 grew to 958,000 units, a growth of 38% compared to the same period last year.
"Last quarter saw pocket PC vendors reap the rewards of an expanded retail presence, in-store marketing, and targeted promotions such as GPS and camera bundles," noted IDC senior analyst Tim Mui. "A consumer market drawn to attractive low-cost pocket PC offerings and a renewed interest in mobile solutions from large and medium enterprises helped pocket PC devices to overtake Palm OS based products in 2003."
"The healthy double-digit growth of the handheld market in both 4Q03 and for 2003 overall suggests that by pricing aggressively and offering attractive bundles such as GPS navigation systems it is possible for vendors to stimulate growth in the handheld market by creating demand through innovative marketing," commented Andrew Brown, program manager for mobile devices at IDC.
Table 1: IDC Western European Handheld Device Operating System Shares, 2003
| Operating System | 2003 | % Share | 2002 | % Share | Growth | | Windows Mobile | 1,422,765 | 55.6% | 819,330 | 41.0% | 73.6% | | Palm OS | 1,038,590 | 40.6% | 1,086,415 | 54.4% | -4.4% | | Other | 95,620 | 3.7% | 91,815 | 4.6% | 4.1% | | Total | 2,556,975 | | 1,997,560 | | 28.0% | | Source: IDC, 2004 |
Table 2: IDC Western European Handheld Device Operating System Shares, 4Q03
| Operating System | 4Q03 | % Share | 4Q02 | % Share | Growth | | Windows Mobile | 570,670 | 59.6% | 222,835 | 32.2% | 156.1% | | Palm OS | 372,990 | 38.9% | 443,920 | 64.1% | -16.0% | | Other | 14,390 | 1.5% | 26,300 | 3.8% | -45.3% | | Total | 958,050 | | 693,055 | | 38.2% | | Source: IDC, 2004 |
Notes regarding the above tables: - Vendor shipments are branded shipments and exclude OEM sales for all vendors.
- Handheld devices are pocket sized and are capable of synchronizing with desktop or laptop computers. Handheld devices are designed to access and manage data including office documents, multimedia, and games.
- Handheld devices do not include telephony but may include wireless capabilities that enable Internet access and text communication. These devices feature evolved operating systems or application environments such as the Palm OS, Pocket PC, Windows CE, Handheld PC 2000, and Linux or proprietary solutions and have the ability to download and run applications and store user data beyond their required PIM capabilities.
IDC's European Quarterly Handheld Tracker monitors vendor sales and market shares across a range of key European geographies.
(Click here for further information)
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