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Are Falling Handheld Prices A Sign Of PDA Obsolescence?
Computers | Aug 24, 05
There's been a lot of talk about the PocketPC and Palm PDA market getting squeezed out of existence. These handhelds are under pressure from Blackberries and multi-function cell phones on the one hand, and low-cost notebook computers on the other. Now if this is the case, one might expect to see significant and rapid price cuts in the PDAs, and in fact there is some evidence of this effect.
Consider the most popular PocketPC on PriceSCAN.com, HP iPAQ HX4705. This WiFi and Bluetooth enabled model has seen its lowest offered price on this site fall by about $100 since January, a decline of nearly 20%.
Time Period: 1/17/2005 through 8/22/2005
Each tick mark represents one week
Red = High Price, Blue = Average Price, Green = Low Price
Interestingly, the HP iPAQ H6315 Pocket PC - Phone Edition saw an initial price drop last year but has displayed some price stability of late, so perhaps cell capability offers some hope to this line.
Time Period: 8/9/2004 through 8/22/2005
Each tick mark represents one week
Red = High Price, Blue = Average Price, Green = Low Price
Meanwhile, on the Palm side, we're also seeing some price slippage – see the graphs of the palmOne Tungsten E2 and Zire 31 below.
Time Period: 4/18/2005 through 8/22/2005
Each tick mark represents one week
Red = High Price, Blue = Average Price, Green = Low Price
Time Period: 5/3/2004 through 8/22/2005
Each tick mark represents one week
Red = High Price, Blue = Average Price, Green = Low Price
Of course much of this could simply be yet another aspect of generalized tech deflation. But even if old-style PDA functionality will truly be subsumed by other technologies, for those looking for a handheld today, the bargains are multiplying.
Posted by jeffrey.trester (Permalink)
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