Shrinking PDA Market Means
Greater Connectivity Needs in
Traditional Mobile Computing Environments

Recent News
A recent CRN article reported that IDC documented a decline in the shipments of personal digital assistants(PDAs) for the third consecutive quarter.

The report documented an 8.7% drop in worldwide shipments of PDAs without telephone capabilities. Total shipments of these devices totaled 2.1 million for the quarter ending Sept. 30, 2004.

IDC found that some of the lost sales were replaced by "smart-phones" that provide the data capabilities of a PDA and the voice capabilities of cell phones. "In the face of intense competition from converged mobile devices capable of performing basic personal information management tasks, the worldwide handheld device market continues to struggle to evolve beyond its primary role as a PIM (personal information management) device," said David Linsalata, an IDC analyst.

Because of the shrinking market for PDAs, and the expansion of the hybrid market, many of the major electronics manufacturers have exited the PDA market completely. Sony and Toshiba have discontinued most PDA models. Sharp Electronics also announced that it will be discontinuing its Linux-based handheld (Zaurus SL6000) in the US market.

With the withdrawal of the large players, IDC reports that smaller electronics companies have started grabbing for PDA marketshare. However, as profit margins are increasingly shrinking for these devices, it is quite possible that the PDA will soon go the way of the 8-Track.

Implications for Mobile Computing Market Place
The shrinking PDA market is a sign that users want more robust mobile connectivity solutions than a small handheld device can provide. Thus, it is no surprise that the mobile computing market is still growing, and will continue to grow. And while the growth of "smart phone" hybrid devices is important--so is the growth of other mobile computing platforms including laptops, tablets, and "clamshell" handhelds.

Of course, the one thing that all of these small systems have in common is the need for ports! In fact, the smaller they are, the fewer expansion options they have--and that is where Quatech comes in. We have the industry's most complete mobile connectivity line, offering more interface option and port count combinations than any other manufacturer.

We would like to take this opportunity to mention that as part of our R&D planning Quatech forecast the quick decline of the simple PDA--in fact we decided not to devote the resources required to offer Palm OS support for our products, specifically because we determined that Palm would not have the longevity of Windows CE and Linux.

With Quatech you can add GPs, Bluetooth, EPP Parallel, RS-232, RS-422, and RS-485 connectivity to any mobile computer running Windows 9x-XP, Windows CE/PocketPC, or Linux. We offer PCMCIA, CompactFlash, and USB interface options--one of which is bound to be native on a mobile computer.

And, most important--unlike many cheap converter cables on the market, Quatech ports completely emulate standard COM ports--that means security dongles work correctly, serial communications are processed properly, and application software works just as it did in older systems.

For more information on Quatech's mobile connectivity solutions, and for detailed mobile application examples, see the Mobile Connectivity page on our website.