PDA Shipments Up, Prices Down

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Worldwide shipments of personal digital assistants increased nearly 32 percent in the third quarter, as prices declined 13 percent, a market research firm said Thursday.
Manufacturers shipped 4.5 million units in the quarter, compared with 3.4 million the same period last year, Gartner said. The average selling price fell to $351.
Gartner defines a PDA as a data-centric device, such as Research In Motion's Blackberry, that weighs less than a pound and may have voice capabilities. Much of the growth in the quarter was generated by PDAs capable of accessing cellular networks, such as Danger Inc.'s Sidekick 3 sold by T-Mobile, the Nokia E61/E62, and the Motorola Q.
"The Sidekick has achieved near cult status as a wireless messaging device among the 15-to-25 age group in the U.S., which propelled it to nearly 300 percent growth in the third quarter," Gartner analyst Todd Kort said in a statement. "We have not seen the consumer marketplace gravitate toward a particular PDA model like this since Palm's peak of popularity over five years ago. The trendiness of this device combined with substantial pent-up demand produced a rush to get on board with the new model."
RIM remained the most popular PDA maker, accounting for 20.9 percent of worldwide PDA shipments. The remaining top five manufacturers, and market share, were Danger, 10.5 percent; Palm, 10.3; Hewlett-Packard, 8.1; and Mio Technology, 7.8.
HP's business struggled in the third quarter, with shipments declining 33 percent from a year ago, despite launching some new models, Gartner said.