With dwindling sales of PCs described in reports from research house BMI-TechKnowledge, SDD reckons the next big revenue driver is likely to be handheld computing devices or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). That's according to Brad Pulford, Business Unit Manager, International Brands, at SDD.
Internationally, PC sales are also decreasing while shipments of handhelds climb through the roof. Market research company IDC expects some 14 million PDAs to gallop off the shelves throughout the world this year - up a massive 52 per cent on 2000's 9.2 million units.
"The honeymoon is definitely nearing the end as far as sales of new PCs are concerned," states Pulford. The reasons for this, he says, is that last year 's Pentium III 650 is still very much up to the task in the corporate world - the pull of a shiny new P4 1,5Ghz is unlikely to get the bean counters to part with company money for an upgrade.
However, financial directors are increasingly approving expenditure for PDAs for upper and middle management - "As this trend continues, we can expect to see a lot more revenue from this quarter," says Pulford. He adds that HP is even set to announce an organisation devoted to handheld devices.
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SDD
SDD, the focused IT company in the Siltek Technology Chain Group, is South Africa's largest broad-based distributor of information technology. SDD encourages black empowerment opportunities and is the partner of choice of several leading vendors. It distributes a wide range of 'best of breed' hardware and software products, as well as peripherals, components and consumables. SDD configures branded hardware and builds-to-order Xylo, Vision, Laptech and Fujitech, its own range of PCs. SDD has branches in Gauteng, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban, Bloemfontein and Nelspruit. Outside South Africa, the company has partnerships in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
Siltek Limited
Siltek Limited is the leader in the Southern African Technology Supply Chain with a turnover of R3-billion in the year to end-June 2000. Listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Siltek comprises complementary operating divisions namely, Volume Distribution, Specialist Distribution and Supply Chain Services.
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