19 February 2002

Despite Economy, Worldwide PDA Shipments Scoot up

According to Gartner Dataquest, 13.1 million personal digital assistants (PDAs) were shipped worldwide in 2001 – up 18% from 2000. Gartner Dataquest reports that the PDA market was dominated by Palm in both 2000 and 2001, although the company’s market share declined from over one-half in 2000 to 38.6% in 2001.

Gartner also reports that in the US in particular, roughly 6.5 million PDA units were shipped in 2001. Gartner says that this amount represents about one-half of the global PDA market. Additionally, the Asia-Pacific region claimed 17.4%, the Western European region claimed 16.5% and Japan claimed 8% of worldwide PDA shipments in 2001.

To put the number of PDA shipments in the US into perspective in terms of wireless internet access, in its latest report, North America Online, eMarketer estimates that the number of US mobile internet subscribers using a handheld device or PDA will rise from 4.5 million in 2002 to 13.5 million in 2004. eMarketer notes, however, that the number of people making internet connections with their cellphones will far outweigh the number connecting from handheld devices or PDAs.

Looking for a comprehensive report on the who, what, when and where regarding internet users in North America? Then get eMarketer's latest report North America Online. And, stay tuned to eMarketer's eReports page for the PDA Report -- coming soon.