Hold the phone: PDAs to lose marketshare to smartphones in 2004, Gartner to predict at Symposium/ITxpo next month
Announcement posted by Gartner 25 Oct 2003
SALES of smartphones worldwide will leap 140% to 20.7 million units next year as demand for PDAs (personal digital assistants) turns flat, research company Gartner (NYSE: IT and ITB) will predict at its Symposium & ITxpo next month.
The Palm operating system will hang on to a slim lead in the PDA market next year amid a battle royale over smartphone sales between the alternative platforms, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm and Linux. Palm will enter the smartphone fray if shareholders approve its purchase of Handspring on October 28.
Symbian a multi-vendor partnership - should leverage its entrenched position in the mobile phone space but Microsoft will be a fierce competitor, says mobile expert Ken Dulaney, who will address the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Sydney next month.
The Symbian group consists of Nokia, Samsung, Sony/Ericsson, Ericsson, Siemens, Panasonic and Psion.
The enormous diversity of devices will remain for the foreseeable future, Mr Dulaney says. There will never be a converged device that suits everyone, he says. You can read your e-mail on a camera but that is not optimal.
The array of products is making life hard for IT departments confronted by users demanding support for their handheld devices.
Consumer preference overrides everything, Mr Dulaney says. For an organisation, standardisation is elusive. If an employee doesnt like what their company recommends, they say, Ill go out and get my own.
A strategy of managed diversity is the solution. Devices in an organisation are going to triple very quickly. Theyll be everywhere like shoes in Imelda Marcoss closet.
Australian-based analyst Robin Simpson says local attitudes towards handheld devices are fiercely independent. People see this type of technology as a personal choice, he says.
Handhelds have become a fashion item not a work tool, so selection is made on personal preferences rather than concern for their companys IT requirements.
Mr Dulaney says the worst offenders are senior executives who use their position to impose their preferences without fear of refusal.
Three alternative approaches for device support are recommended:
Full support: A device receives all the support privileges of PCs including application development;
Data interface support: Devices can connect to enterprise information sources through controlled ports; and
Reject support: Devices appear in such low volume, or are so consumer-oriented, that support is an inefficient use of resource.
Mr Dulaney predicts the increasing demand in the United States for e-mail everywhere will sweep Australia and the rest of the Asia-Pacific.
The American enterprise market is demanding e-mail rather than SMS on their wireless mobile devices, he says. This could result in a leap in productivity of US workers by 2005 as they process business messages more efficiently. Australia should move more quickly than Europe in this area.
The alternative strategies for handheld technologies will be explained by Mr Dulaney and Mr Simpson, together with other Gartner analysts, at the 11th Symposium/ITxpo at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney, from November 11-14.
Interview opportunities with Mr Dulaney and Mr Simpson are available in the lead-up to Symposium, or during the event.
Symposium will also feature presentations on:
Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2004;
Future of Windows in the Enterprise;
Enterprise Risk Management for Financial Services;
Return on IT Investment in Government;
Converging Wireless Technologies for the Enterprise;
New Technologies and What It Means for Security;
Emerging Technologies: Radar Screen for 2005-2014;
Plus much more
To organise an interview on the fast-growing world of mobile computing and smartphones, please contact Jo Lobban on 61 2 9359 4692 or email joanna.lobban@gartner.com
For media registration to Symposium visit http://asiapac.gartner.com/events/mediasym.cfm or contact Jo on 61 2 9459 4692 or email joanna.lobban@gartner.com
For more information on Symposium/ITxpo, click on http://symposium.gartner.com/section.php.id.2169.s.5.html
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About Gartner
Gartner, Inc. is a research and advisory firm that helps more than 10,000 clients leverage technology to achieve business success. Gartner's businesses are Research, Consulting, Measurement, Events and Executive Programs. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., and has more than 3,800 associates, including approximately 1,000 research analysts and consultants, in more than 75 locations worldwide. Revenue for calendar year 2002 totalled $888 million. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.
The Palm operating system will hang on to a slim lead in the PDA market next year amid a battle royale over smartphone sales between the alternative platforms, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm and Linux. Palm will enter the smartphone fray if shareholders approve its purchase of Handspring on October 28.
Symbian a multi-vendor partnership - should leverage its entrenched position in the mobile phone space but Microsoft will be a fierce competitor, says mobile expert Ken Dulaney, who will address the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Sydney next month.
The Symbian group consists of Nokia, Samsung, Sony/Ericsson, Ericsson, Siemens, Panasonic and Psion.
The enormous diversity of devices will remain for the foreseeable future, Mr Dulaney says. There will never be a converged device that suits everyone, he says. You can read your e-mail on a camera but that is not optimal.
The array of products is making life hard for IT departments confronted by users demanding support for their handheld devices.
Consumer preference overrides everything, Mr Dulaney says. For an organisation, standardisation is elusive. If an employee doesnt like what their company recommends, they say, Ill go out and get my own.
A strategy of managed diversity is the solution. Devices in an organisation are going to triple very quickly. Theyll be everywhere like shoes in Imelda Marcoss closet.
Australian-based analyst Robin Simpson says local attitudes towards handheld devices are fiercely independent. People see this type of technology as a personal choice, he says.
Handhelds have become a fashion item not a work tool, so selection is made on personal preferences rather than concern for their companys IT requirements.
Mr Dulaney says the worst offenders are senior executives who use their position to impose their preferences without fear of refusal.
Three alternative approaches for device support are recommended:
Full support: A device receives all the support privileges of PCs including application development;
Data interface support: Devices can connect to enterprise information sources through controlled ports; and
Reject support: Devices appear in such low volume, or are so consumer-oriented, that support is an inefficient use of resource.
Mr Dulaney predicts the increasing demand in the United States for e-mail everywhere will sweep Australia and the rest of the Asia-Pacific.
The American enterprise market is demanding e-mail rather than SMS on their wireless mobile devices, he says. This could result in a leap in productivity of US workers by 2005 as they process business messages more efficiently. Australia should move more quickly than Europe in this area.
The alternative strategies for handheld technologies will be explained by Mr Dulaney and Mr Simpson, together with other Gartner analysts, at the 11th Symposium/ITxpo at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney, from November 11-14.
Interview opportunities with Mr Dulaney and Mr Simpson are available in the lead-up to Symposium, or during the event.
Symposium will also feature presentations on:
Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2004;
Future of Windows in the Enterprise;
Enterprise Risk Management for Financial Services;
Return on IT Investment in Government;
Converging Wireless Technologies for the Enterprise;
New Technologies and What It Means for Security;
Emerging Technologies: Radar Screen for 2005-2014;
Plus much more
To organise an interview on the fast-growing world of mobile computing and smartphones, please contact Jo Lobban on 61 2 9359 4692 or email joanna.lobban@gartner.com
For media registration to Symposium visit http://asiapac.gartner.com/events/mediasym.cfm or contact Jo on 61 2 9459 4692 or email joanna.lobban@gartner.com
For more information on Symposium/ITxpo, click on http://symposium.gartner.com/section.php.id.2169.s.5.html
#####
About Gartner
Gartner, Inc. is a research and advisory firm that helps more than 10,000 clients leverage technology to achieve business success. Gartner's businesses are Research, Consulting, Measurement, Events and Executive Programs. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., and has more than 3,800 associates, including approximately 1,000 research analysts and consultants, in more than 75 locations worldwide. Revenue for calendar year 2002 totalled $888 million. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.