Connected PDAs To Outnumber Traditional PDAs by 2006, Affirms ABI.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers OYSTER BAY Oyster Bay, uninc. area (1990 pop. 6,687) of the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau co., SE N.Y., on N Long Island, on Long Island Sound; settled 1653. It is chiefly residential. , N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 9, 2003 Low replacement rates and slow shipments have been paralyzing the PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) A handheld computer for managing contacts, appointments and tasks. It typically includes a name and address database, calendar, to-do list and note taker, which are the functions in a personal information manager (see PIM). industry for some time. Emergence of converged devices A converged device combines the functions of others. Examples
(Application Binary Interface) A specification for a specific hardware platform combined with the operating system. confirms that while Connected PDAs have not gained much traction due, in part, to limitations of existing form factors, new Connected PDA products like the soon to be launched Treo 600 will change this. Connected PDAs and Smartphones differ in that Connected PDAs are converged devices with a PDA-based standardized OS like that of Palm or Microsoft Mobile Software for Pocket PCs. Smartphones, on the other hand, are more like standard cellular handsets and employ a related OS. "Connected PDAs will represent over 50% of the total PDA market by 2006," affirms Kenil Vora, ABI analyst, "unlike Smartphones, which will continue to represent only a small portion of the overall handset market." ABI's newest report, "Personal Digital Assistants: A Strategic Analysis of Connected and Unconnected PDAs," examines the strategies adopted by major PDA OEMs and analyzes revenue growth expected in the Connected PDA market. The report finds that the overall PDA market is expected to grow to $10 billion by 2008 with a major portion derived from Connected PDAs. Despite other research claiming an overall decline in the traditional PDA market, ABI research contends that this market will actually experience modest growth of 8% CAAG through 2008. ABI's contrarian views stem from different form factors and emerging technology applications for traditional PDAs such as telematics Originally coined to mean the convergence of telecommunications and information processing, the term later evolved to refer to automation in automobiles. GPS navigation, integrated hands-free cellphones, wireless communications and automatic driving assistance systems all come under the , satellite location, barcode scanning, RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) A data collection technology that uses electronic tags for storing data. The tag, also known as an "electronic label," "transponder" or "code plate," is made up of an RFID chip attached to an antenna. tracking and digital photography. Operating Systems Operating systems can be categorized by technology, ownership, licensing, working state, usage, and by many other characteristics. In practice, many of these groupings may overlap. will be a major factor for the Connected PDA market as well. Whereas PalmSource is focused solely on the Connected PDA market, Linux and Microsoft also compete in the Smartphone segment with different variants of their OS. In this segment, Symbian's OS dominates the market. "Symbian will continue to garner individual customers for its rather user-friendly and 'sticky' OS," continues Vora, "while Microsoft's Windows Mobile The Windows platform from Microsoft for handheld devices, including PDAs, cellphones and Portable Media Centers. See Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone Edition, Smartphone and Portable Media Center. Software for Smartphones will serve to frenzy the enterprise user." A second report by ABI, "Wireless Handset Software: The Evolution of OS and Middleware Solutions and Their Impact on Next Generation Wireless Devices," examines the strategies adopted by major wireless OS and middleware providers and includes information and projections on various shipments and license fees. About ABI ABI is a N.Y.-based technology market research firm founded in 1990. ABI publishes market research and technology intelligence on the wireless, automotive, electronics, networking and energy industries. Details can be found on the web at abiresearch.com or by calling 516-624-3113. |
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