Windows CE Out-ships Palm OS in EMEA

Canalys' latest research shows the European, Middle Eastern and African (EMEA) mobile device market grew 125% year-on-year in Q1 2003, but much of the growth came from the smart phone segment and as a result of companies, such as Dell and ViewSonic, joining the ever-increasing ranks of Pocket PC handheld vendors. Nokia retained its overall lead, with 42% market share, followed by Palm on 15% - the highest placed handheld vendor. These two were joined in the top five by Sony Ericsson (12%), HP (11%) and Orange (4%). This supports Canalys' forecast earlier this year that shipments of smart phones would exceed those of handhelds in 2003. Just outside the top five were Sony and new entrant Dell, making a solid start with its Axim devices.

From an operating system perspective, it is important for Symbian that Nokia has now been joined by another vendor shipping in large quantities, said Chris Jones, Canalys director & senior analyst. "Not only has the P800 propelled Sony Ericsson into third place this quarter, but there are indications that demand is outstripping supply, which bodes well for Q2 as well. With more device launches expected over the course of the year we anticipate that Symbian will retain its lead in the smart phone segment in EMEA."

There was also some good news for Microsoft in that the Windows CE share of the mobile device market was higher than that for Palm OS for the first time, as senior analyst Andy Buss pointed out: "While Palm is still the leading handheld vendor, and Sony continues to post good growth rates, the sheer number of vendors using Windows CE in their devices means that Palm OS is now in third place in EMEA." Canalys expects Palm's introduction of new models this week to help boost its shipments in the coming quarter, but it continues to face an increasing number of competitors and competing device formats.

Dell was one of the new entrants in Q1, taking 2% share of the overall EMEA mobile device market with its Axim handhelds. Jones added: "For its first quarter, Dell made a good start. There was obviously some pent-up demand for a low-cost Pocket PC, but other vendors are already responding. Dell will need to broaden its product range if it wants to enjoy sustained success in this market."