IDC is reporting that yearly shipments of handhelds slid from 10.6 million units in 2003 to 9.2 million units in 2004. IDC’s report does not track smart phones or the majority of Research In Motion’s Blackberry devices. There was a rise in the fourth quarter but it was not enough to offset declines earlier in the year. IDC suggests that vendors must evolve their devices beyond personal management information if they are to reverse this trend.
PalmOne remained in first place; HP was in second (despite a 2.7 percent marketshare loss) and Dell took the last step on the podium.