PDA Sales Increase Sharply

According to PC World quarter one of 2005 was good to PDA manufacturers as demand increased for the units.

“Worldwide PDA sales during the first quarter totaled 3.4 million units, compared to sales of 2.7 million during the same period last year, Gartner says. The 25-percent gain in shipments was the largest ever percentage gain for PDA sales during the first quarter, it says, noting that it did not count sales of smart phones, such as PalmOne’s Treo 650.

At the same time, the average selling price of PDAs rose by 15 percent to $406, the highest since Gartner began tracking PDA prices in 2000, it says.

PDAs with integrated WLAN (wireless LAN) and cell-phone capabilities accounted for around 55 percent of all PDAs shipped during the first quarter, Gartner says. Demand for these functions was largely driven by users’ desire for wireless e-mail access, it says, noting that devices with QWERTY keyboards and relatively large displays had been top sellers.”

Read more at PC World