Sharp issued a statement on Wednesday confirming that the company is cutting back on its handheld plans in the United States--it will stop developing and selling handhelds to consumers but will continue to sell devices to corporate customers. Sharp will still sell its organizers in the United States and has no plans to stop sales of Zaurus handhelds in Japan.
Sharp representatives were not available to offer more details on the move. Sharp joins a list of companies that entered the market after witnessing the success of Palm (now split into PalmSource and PalmOne), but gradually, as shipments declined, makers such as Sony and Toshiba have been scaling back.
"Sharp pulling out is not a big shock, but they never had much presence in this market," said Kevin Burden, an analyst with research firm IDC. "Still, it's not good news for the handheld business. Three years ago, vendors were clamoring to get into this market, but now there's consolidation or companies are just pulling out."
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- I love my Sharp Zaurus ever since I purchased it over ebay a couple of months ago. I own the SL-5500 and although it is over 2 years old it is still leading edge.
I find it sad that Sharp is a... (Read the rest) - Posted by: andrew_wyllie@... Posted on: 10/21/04 You are currently: a Guest | Log in | Terms of Use
Sad...
WhoIsDaMan | 10/20/04
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Real shame
htotten | 10/20/04
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Smart move on Sharp's part
Kamakazii | 10/20/04
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You have a Sharp Point
Roger Ramjet | 10/21/04
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And the band marchs on...
No_Ax_to_Grind | 10/20/04
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Grassroots Marketing
andrew_wyllie@... | 10/21/04
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