Leader of the iPaq

HP is dominating the handheld PC space, according to the latest IDC Smart Handheld Device Tracker report.

iPaq sales accounted for 46.1 per cent of handheld devices shipped in Australia from April 2003 to March 2004, a figure that could rise even further following Sony’s withdrawal of its Clie brand from everywhere but Japan last month.

PalmOne was second (35 per cent), followed by Toshiba (5.4 per cent), Acer (3.6 per cent) and Sony (2.7 per cent).

However, IDC’s PC analyst, Michael Sager, said the market for converged handhelds – those that are more than just personal organisers and include on-board voice technology – was the one to watch during the coming year.

“The market for pen-based handheld devices grew by less than 1 per cent since last quarter,” he said. “The converged product space grew by 27.9 per cent. It’s achieved a year-on-year increase of 148 per cent compared to 35.8 per cent in the handheld PC market.” HP is promising some additions to the iPaq suite in coming months.

Read the entire article at ARNnet