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add to deliciousSo, hot on the heels of posting that Handheld sales are down 40% we have another report saying that PDA shipments are up 40%. What What WHAT?
The second report comes from Gartner and the devil's in the details here, specifically what the definition of "PDA" and "handheld" are. Gartner has an awfully strange definition of PDA indeed:
a data-centric handheld computer weighing less than 1 pound that is primarily designed for use with both hands. These devices use an open-market OS supported by third-party applications that can be added into the device by end users. They offer instant-on/off capability and synchronization of files with a PC. A PDA may offer WAN support for voice, but these are data-first, voice-second devices. Examples include the RIM BlackBerry 8707v, HP iPAQ 69xx, Nokia E61, Motorola Q, T-Mobile Dash and Sidekick 3.
The Dash and the Q are "voice-second" devices? Riiiight. That's opposed to "smartphones," which are "phone first." So, you know, the Treo 750 is not a PDA. Confused yet? Me too, Gartner's "PDA" seems like a pretty useless product category. But the numbers in this silly little product category are pretty impressive:
| Company | 1Q07 Shipments | 1Q07 Market Share (%) | 1Q06 Shipments | 1Q06 Market Share (%) | 1Q06-1Q07 Growth (%) |
| Win CE | 3,184,703 | 62.1 | 1,937,667 | 52.8 | 64.4 |
| RIM | 928,239 | 18.1 | 929,883 | 25.3 | -0.2 |
| Palm OS | 314,353 | 6.1 | 489,220 | 13.3 | -35.7 |
| Symbian | 288,000 | 5.6 | 132,000 | 3.6 | 118.2 |
| Linux | 33,400 | 0.7 | 43,530 | 1.2 | -23.3 |
| Others | 377,150 | 7.4 | 137,000 | 3.7 | 175.3 |
| Total | 5,125,845 | 100.0 | 3,669,300 | 100.0 | 39.7 |
So basically, if you ignore the Treo, Windows Mobile is dominating. If you ignore the Treo. I wonder how Gartner will define the iPhone?
