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IDC, a market intelligence firm, released their annual findings on the handheld market today.  This study looks at the number of handhelds (without voice telephony features) shipped in 2005.  According to this year’s study, handheld shipments in 2005 were down approximately 16.7% compared to 2004.

These numbers back up my opinion that converged devices, like Smartphones and PPC-Phones, are the way things are heading for the mobile/handheld industry.  I don’t have any exact number in front of me, but I’ve read numerous statements recently that shipments of these types of devices had a large growth in 2005 compared to a year prior.

Ever since I got my Audiovox Smartphone, I no longer use my Pocket PC on a daily basis.  My Smartphone handles the day-to-day chores, but I still use my PPC if I’ll be away for awhile and want a slightly larger screen for e-mail/web/etc…. or on short flights when I don’t feel like getting out my laptop.

Overall though, I just see the convenience of converged devices making them the more popular choice for daily PDA usage.  These figures posted by IDC definitely show a slowing trend in "regular" handhelds.  Is this due to an increasing popularity of converged devices?  Or is it just a result of a year full of high gas prices, tax rate hikes, etc. that meant less gadget purchases for some customer groups?

IDC Press Release: Click Here

Chris Leckness (3547 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook

Chris Leckness is the Owner/Administrator of Mobilitysite. He is a Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices and a member of the exclusive focus group, Mobius. Chris runs a Mobilitysite, GotZune, and a few other smaller sites and blogs. His personal blog is chris.leckness.com.