Sharp to Stop Selling PDA in U.S.

[SilvrDrgn]

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Sharp Electronics Corp. plans to stop selling its Linux-based handheld computer in the United States, another sign of the slowing market for personal digital assistants.

The New Jersey-based subsidiary of Sharp Corp. said the company will continue to sell PDAs in its home market of Japan but "has made a business decision to cycle out of business development activities for the Zaurus SL6000" in the U.S. market.

Sharp, which introduced its Zaurus PDA in 2002, did not further explain its decision. However, analyst research shows that Linux-based organizers have not caught on with consumers in a market dominated by handhelds running operating systems from PalmSource Inc. (PSRC) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)

Also, sales of basic PDAs are slowing down while sales of its smart-phone cousins are rising. Smart phones are handhelds that combine cell phone and PDA organizer features.

In all of 2003, worldwide sales of conventional PDAs without phone functions slipped 18 percent, according to IDC.

Two other electronics giants, Sony Corp. (SNE) and Toshiba Corp., announced similar PDA withdrawals from the U.S. market earlier this year.

myway news

[amigean]

higher industry concentration has a lot to do with it as well...

With Palm, HP and Dell having established themselves    so well in the PDA market, outsiders such as SHARP (or JVC who also pulled out) really stand no chance.

IMHO the Zaurus is a neat device though - it's a pitty current PDAs are OS-specific

/me wishes for the commoditisation of PDA hardware so one could use any OS he/she likes

currently only Compaq (and a few of the later HP) iPAQs has the option of either PPC/MS Windos Mobile or Linux (check out OPIE for Ipaq, it rocks!)

[artman]

Sorry to hear another one bites the dust.  Got a Sony Clie' myself, and use it all the time.  Helps a disorganized old bugger like me to stay at least partly organized.

[redrumloa]

It's a shame really. I remember finally getting an interest in DE when the Sharp partnership was announced, and Zaurus was named to host DE. Way back when it looked like it would rock.

Of course history laid an egg instead:-(

[System]

Of course history laid an egg instead

One would think that around the Amiga, we have enough "eggs" to feed everyone a 3-egg omelet.

Though I've never owned one of the Zaurus 5500's, I've tinkered with Richard Norman's and find it a little sad that they're no longer going to be making them.

Of course you'll be able to find em cheap on e-bay if you wanted to actually load DE on it.

Wayne

[bhoggett]

The problem isn't that people don't want Linux based PDAs, it's that they can't get them. Sharp's own marketing policy over the past few years is its reason for failure.

In order for people to want your product they mus be able to get your product. Sharp have been happy to service Japan but have put heavy brakes on distributing elsewhere. The rather neat clamshells were a typical example, available in the UK only though importers and with software that was only partially translated from Japanese.

The reason Palm and MS based systems are more popular is because you can buy them anywhere. Try and find a Linux based one and you'll see what I mean.