The worldwide market for handheld devices declined in the first quarter of 2003 due to sluggish demand from businesses and consumers alike, according to IDC’s Worldwide Handheld QView. Worldwide handheld device shipments fell by 21.3% year-on-year in 1Q03 and dropped sequentially by 26.5% to 2.45 million units. Palm maintained its top position in the market while Hewlett-Packard regained the number 2 position from Sony.

QView highlights include: Palm, on the strength of new devices, including its $99 Zire, maintained its leadership status and shipped nearly double the units of its closest competitor; Hewlett Packard regained the number two spot due in large part to sales of its $299 H1910; Dell tripled its volume sequentially and vaulted into the top five with the success of its $199 and $299 Axim X5; Handspring continued its strategy shift to converged devices, dropping to the number seven spot overall with 2.9% market share; The dynamics of the Asia/Pacific handheld market continue to evolve with Legend, Minren, and Hi-Tech Wealth dropping out of the top 10 list of leading vendors during the quarter, and GSL joining the top 10.