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Gartner Dataquest Says Announced Release of Pocket PC 2002 May Have Slowed PDA Sales in 3Q01
URL(s): www.gartner.com
SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 5, 2001--While Microsoft's new Pocket PC 2002 operating system will provide an incentive
for some to purchase a new PDA, it appears to have actually slowed some PDA sales during the third quarter of 2001.
Worldwide PDA shipments totaled 2.54 million units in the third quarter of 2001, which was a 9.5 percent decrease from the second quarter
of this year, according to preliminary results from Dataquest Inc., a unit of Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT and ITB).
"An October ship date for Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002 was known a few months in advance to those who follow the PDA market, and
customer knowledge of this milestone event appears to have significantly dampened demand for and shipments of Pocket PC products during the
third quarter of 2001," said Todd Kort, principal analyst of Gartner Dataquest's Computing Platform Worldwide group.
Compaq appeared to be most affected by users who waited to purchase a new PDA. Compaq's worldwide PDA market share totaled 7.3
percent in the third quarter of 2001, down from 16 percent in the second quarter of this year (see Table 1).
Table 1
Worldwide PDA Unit Shipment Estimates for 3Q01 (Thousands of Units)
3Q01 3Q01 Market 2Q01 2Q01 Market
Company Shipments Share (%) Shipments Share (%)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Palm 754 29.7 890 31.7
Handspring 352 13.9 300 10.7
Compaq 185 7.3 450 16.0
Casio 143 5.6 94 3.3
Hewlett-Packard 135 5.3 193 6.9
Minren 130 5.1 75 2.7
Others 838 33.0 804 28.7
Total Market 2,538 100.0 2,806 100.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Gartner Dataquest (November 2001)
Compaq's iPAQ was the only major PDA available in the third quarter that used Intel's StrongARM SA-1110 chip and flash ROM. About a
month before the launch of the Pocket PC 2002, Microsoft allowed Compaq to spread the word that their PDAs would be upgradeable to the
Pocket PC 2002 software.
This should have reassured customers that it was safe to buy iPAQs, but this was not enough to keep demand up. Shipments of iPAQs had
been steadily ramping up from late last year through about the middle of 2001, as Compaq had trouble meeting demand. By June, Compaq had
matched supply and demand and in the third quarter demand dried up in anticipation of a new generation of Pocket PCs.
"Hewlett-Packard helped freeze the Pocket PC market in September by preannouncing the new Jornada 560 series, which compares
favorably to the older iPAQs," Kort said. "While Compaq is offering free upgrades to those who purchase an iPAQ between September 6 and
November 30, this appears to have failed to register with the market. Another possible explanation is that customers and resellers just decided to
wait to see all of the new PDAs before committing to substantial new purchases."
Palm continues to be the No. 1 vendor in the PDA market worldwide and in the United States (see Tables 1 and 2), but it did experience a
slight loss in market share in both geographies. Handspring moved into the No. 2 position. In September, Handspring began shipping the Visor
Pro and Visor Neo that replace older models, and it announced the Treo line of smart phones that will be begin shipping early next year.
Table 2
U.S. PDA Unit Shipment Estimates for 3Q01 (Thousands of Units)
3Q01 3Q01 Market 2Q01 2Q01 Market
Company Shipments Share (%) Shipments Share (%)
------------------------------------------------------- --------------
Palm 479 38.2 509 40.0
Handspring 276 22.0 220 17.3
Research in Motion 92 7.3 98 7.7
Casio 91 7.3 26 2.0
Compaq 75 6.0 204 16.0
Hewlett-Packard 75 6.0 106 8.4
Others 165 13.1 110 8.6
Total Market 1,253 100.0 1,273 100.0
-------------------------------------- ----------------- -------------
Source: Gartner Dataquest (November 2001)
The Palm operating system (OS) comprised 52 percent of the worldwide PDA market in the third quarter of 2001. Palm OS shipments
declined 3 percent from the second quarter of this year. Microsoft Windows CE (Pocket PC) shipments totaled 18 percent of the market in the
third quarter, down from the second quarter of this year when Windows CE represented 30 percent of PDA shipments. PDAs based on
proprietary operating systems comprised about one-fourth of worldwide shipments in the third quarter of 2001.
This information is produced by Gartner Dataquest's Computing Platforms Worldwide research cluster. This program is designed to help
companies focus on real opportunity, with coverage of the complete range of computer hardware platforms as well as associated supply chain
components, systems, distribution channels and end user groups. For more information on how to subscribe to this program, please call
408-468-8000. Reports can be accessed on the Internet at www.gartner.com.
Gartner Dataquest is the recognized leader in providing the high-technology and financial communities with market intelligence for the
semiconductor, computer systems and peripherals, communications, document management, software and services sectors of the global
information technology industry.
Gartner, Inc. is a research and advisory firm that helps more than 11,000 clients understand technology and drive business growth. Gartner's
divisions consist of Gartner Research, Gartner Consulting, Gartner Measurement and Gartner Events. Founded in 1979, Gartner, Inc. is
headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, and consists of 4,300 associates, including 1,200 research analysts and consultants in more than 90
locations worldwide. The company achieved fiscal 2001 revenue of $952 million. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.
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