One More Time: The PDA Market Is Meaningless To Measure
from the please-stop-now dept
For years, we've been complaining about all these ridiculous studies that moan about how the "PDA" (personal digital assistant) market is shrinking, yet they keep on coming. The fact is that the market isn't shrinking at all -- it's just changing as PDAs are built into smartphones. Back when the internet was first catching on and people who had originally bought PCs were suddenly upgrading to PCs with modems, we didn't hear people bemoaning the death of PCs. Instead, people realized that an internet-connected PC was simply a natural upgrade in the market. The same is true with PDAs turning into smartphones.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: pdas, smartphones
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Yeah, but the general middle-class population buying new cars which have "iPod Compatible" interfaces are still not considered a natural upgrade... just an added "feature".
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Meaningful
What? The market is shrinking. The article clearly differentiates between smartphones and PDAs. Thus, the market study is only about PDAs without cellphone ability. To complete you analogy when PCs with modems came out -- the market for PCs without modems shrank.
Your confusion probably comes from thinking there is no market for PDAs without cellphone ability. However, i would bet there are plenty of specific uses for such a device.
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Re: "by definition"
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Re: PDA definition
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Re: Good thing
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PDA Definition
"Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are handheld computers, but have become much more versatile over the years. PDAs are also known as pocket computers or palmtop computers. PDAs have many uses: calculation, use as a clock and calendar, accessing the Internet, sending and receiving E-mails, video recording, typewriting and word processing, use as an address book, making and writing on spreadsheets, scanning bar codes, use as a radio or stereo, playing computer games, recording survey responses, and Global Positioning System (GPS). Newer PDAs also have both color screens and audio capabilities, enabling them to be used as mobile phones (smartphones), web browsers, or portable media players. Many PDAs can access the Internet, intranets or extranets via Wi-Fi, or Wireless Wide-Area Networks (WWANs). Many PDAs employ touch screen technology."
I have a PPC phone, and I consider it a PDA.
Duane: By your definition, a car with auto parallel parking is not a car, because it doesn't require someone to drive it for part of the time.
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they are but..
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Use to have PDAs. Back to paper
Two years ago I stopped using, and went back to using a normal journal. It's practical, doesn't break down or run out of batteries, doesn't crash, and I don't look like an idiot every time I need to write something down.
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Car = automobile?
Are you talking about automobiles? Because I thought that a self steering device would by definition make it MORE of an automobile.
Let's all nitpick everything the world ever. That's what the internet is for, right? The point is: PDA + phone = smart phone = good. PDA = why bother?
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I want them separate...
The PDA problem is a price one, and I am twitching to get myself an ASUS eee... Is that a PC, a mobile PC, A smart phone without phone functions, a handheld, and ultra portable laptop, a media player?
Who cares...
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Re: I want them separate...
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A phone and wireless PDA can be best as separate d
But a PDA without a phone would mean a lot to those who want to remotely store and retrieve thoughts, pictures, and sound. That is a larger unit. That needs a QWERTY keyboard, a camera, wifi for browsing and email and IMs, calendar/to do list/notes recording, and a way of recording things you hear and a way of playing back music and podcasts while you are on the move. Do this and still fit in your pocket, play in your car, and sync with your computer is useful as a second carry-around unit.
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I said "to me"
The car analogy was N/A.
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Re: I said "to me"
PDA=Nice little computer that has no network connectivity, but is packed with applications that would be greatly enhanced with it.
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Re: Re: I said "to me"
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and now...
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