The run-away appeal of the Compaq iPaq handheld PC has the company confident in its plans to quadruple production and put up a major fight for the handheld computer market. That`s according to Terence Barter, product manager for Compaq at Tarsus Technologies.
"Currently, Compaq manufactures around 25,000 iPaq handhelds per month, significantly less than the 1.1 million units shipped in the second quarter by handheld leader Palm," says Barter. But the manufacturer intends to boost this production to 50 000 units per month by December and 100 000 per month within the first quarter of next year.
The push into handhelds is largely being driven by two major trends - customers have shown that they want small, portable computing devices and web sites, software developers, hardware manufacturers and carriers are working furiously to develop content and services specifically tailored for wireless handhelds and other devices.
"Internet messaging will soon incorporate audio and video, and enhanced features will drive further demand," says Barter. While wireless communications is an optional feature on iPaqs and other handhelds, Barter expects this to shortly become a common specification.
The challenges facing the computer giant`s push into the handheld market include component shortages that plague the industry - flash memory and LCD screens in particular are scarce commodities "Demand for the iPaq handheld is demonstrated by the fact that units will sell on auction sites such as eBay for significantly more than the retail price," says Barter, confident that the consumer market will comfortably absorb the production planned by Compaq.
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