The PDA Market: Can it Re-invent Itself by Enhancing Usability?

SUMMARY

While shipments declined in 2003, PDAs continued their evolution into multimedia and business data devices. Manufacturers are still focusing on growing the market by attracting new users and convincing current users to upgrade.

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. In addition, as IT spending recovers, PDA manufacturers are looking for increased shipments to corporations.

This report 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.

In its coverage of the PDA market, In-Stat/MDR includes those products that are focused on the consumer and corporate markets. Coverage will not include those PDAs specifically designed for industrial or retail markets, "smartphone" products that are sold only by wireless service providers or manufactured by a traditional mobile phone manufacturer, or messaging products such as Research in Motion's.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary

Methodology

State of the PDA Market

• 2003 Summary
• How Will 2004 be Different
• Challenges & Opportunities
  • Market Challenges
  • Market Opportunities
  • What Brand of PDA Do You Own?
  • Would You Buy the Same Brand Again?

Devices

• Palm OS Based
• Pocket PC (Windows Mobile) Based
• Linux

Components

• Operating Systems (OS)
  • Microsoft
  • PalmSource
  • Linux
• Processors
  • Intel
  • Motorola
  • Texas Instruments (TI)
  • Sony
  • Others
  • Worldwide PDA Processor Market Shares and Revenues
    • Processor Market Shares
    • Worldwide PDA Processor Revenues
• Wireless
  • How Often and For What Purpose Do You Typically Access the Internet With Your PDA? 31 Bluetooth
  • 802.11
• What About USB OTG ?
• Displays
• Memory
  • Internal
  • External
• Feature and Function Integration
  • Which, if Any, of the Following Features Would You Be Most Interested in Having Integrated Into a PDA?

Worldwide PDA Forecasts

• Worldwide PDA Unit Shipments and Revenue
  • Unit Shipments
  • Worldwide PDA Retail Revenue & ASP
• Regional Segmentation
• 2003 Market Shares
  • PDA Unit Shipments
  • Operating Systems

The Coming Year(s)

List of Tables

• Table 1. Palm OS Devices (and Specs) From Major Vendors 2003
• Table 2. PPC OS Devices (with Specs) From Major Vendors 2003
• Table 3. Worldwide PDA Processor Market Shares 2003 ( % of 10M Total Units Shipped, Units in Millions)
• Table 4. Market Share by Available Models
• Table 5. Worldwide PDA Processor Revenues 2003-2008
• Table 6. PDAs with Integrated Bluetooth: 2003-2008
• Table 7. PDAs with Integrated 802.11: 2003-2008 (Units in Millions)
• Table 8. Features Would like Integrated
• Table 9. Worldwide PDA Shipments 2003-2008 (Units in Millions)
• Table 10. Worldwide PDA Retail Revenue & ASP 2003-2008 (Revenue & Units in Millions)
• Table 11. Regional Segmentation of the PDA Market 2003-2008 (% of Total Units Shipped)
• Table 12. 2003 PDA Unit Shipments (Units in Millions)

List of Figures

• Figure 1. Brand of PDA Owned (Base = 739)
• Figure 2. Would You Buy The Same Brand PDA Again?
• Figure 3. Sony TH55
• Figure 4. HP 4350
• Figure 5. Toshiba e800
• Figure 6. Sharp SL-6000
• Figure 7. Motorola i.MX21 Block Diagram
• Figure 8. TI OMAP 2
• Figure 9. Sony Handheld Engine diagram
• Figure 10. Processor Revenues
• Figure 11. Worldwide PDA Retail Revenue, 2003-2008 (US$ in Millions)
• Figure 12. 2003 Worldwide PDA Shipment Market Shares
• Figure 13. Worldwide PDA Operating System Segmentation, 2002