I had recently read an article on Ars Technica that indicated that sales of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) have dropped dramatically and a few vendors are throwing in the towel:
"According to a variety of new reports, the PDA market is drying up. In the year between the second quarter of 2006 and the second quarter of 2007, for instance, PDAs saw an astonishing 43.5 percent decrease in worldwide shipments, and no more than a million devices were sold in the quarter."
Dell (NASDAQGS: DELL), maker of the AXIM, lists this product as unavailable on their website and Fujitsu Siemens, maker of the Pocket LOOX handhelds, is reportedly making their exit as well.
The success of the smartphone seems largely to blame in the decline of PDAs and I must admit that even though I use a PocketPC with the Windows Mobile 5 operating system, I have never really used any of this handheld's whiz-bang features and could probably get along fine with a smartphone.
My only requirements for a handheld are mobile phone and Outlook synchronization, which is the perfect niche for the smartphone. So, how about a virtual show of hands; how many of you truly need a PDA and who just needs a smartphone?
Comment Preview