Converged devices accounted for 68.6 percent of the smart handheld market, achieving 42.7 growth from third quarter 2004, while the pen-based device market grew 28.8 percent in the same period.
"The pronounced growth in the smart handheld device market was largely driven by the surge in consumer spending over Christmas, which vendors capitalised on through promotional activities such as free giveaways, redemption coupons and bundling, as well as the introduction of key price points in the quarter.” said IDC analyst, Mercie Clement.
She said the launch of new models, particularly in the converged market, also contributed to growth.
"IDC expects the Australian smart handheld device market to continue flourishing in 2005, with strong growth expected in the converged device market, as vendors continue to look for ways to improve and expand their current product portfolios,” said Clement.
She added that vendors would need to become more segment-specific as the market becomes increasingly competitive.
Symbian continued to be the most popular operating system for the quarter with 44.2 percent of the market. This was followed by Microsoft with 36.1 percent and Palm with 10.6 percent.
The top five vendors for the quarter were Nokia with 30.7 percent, HP with 17.4 percent, PalmOne 10.6 percent, O2 with 8.9 percent, and Motorola with 8.5 percent.
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