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MiTAC PDA Takes Top Spot in Taiwan and Korea Markets
July 08, 2004 [Pocket PC] | By Edward J. R.

MiTAC conquers PDA market in Asia with Pocket PC devices! Mainly due to the Pocket PC with built-in GPS, but it is a good sign for whole Windows Mobile! Fortunately MiTAC also is active in area of Microsoft Smartphone platform... Information directly from MiTAC follows.

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MiTAC International Corporation has achieved yet another milestone with its PDA products. According to an IDC (International Data Corporation) ranking of handheld device shipments in Asia during the first quarter of 2004 (see note 1), MiTAC’s overall PDA shipments in the Asia region (excluding Japan) ranked third, behind only HP and PalmOne. In addition, according to IDC figures, MiTAC was the PDA market share leader in Taiwan and Korea, with a 25.5% share in Taiwan and even more phenomenal 47.5% share in Korea. The most important product underlying MiTAC’s remarkable sales performance is the Mio 168 handheld GPS navigation system.

MiTAC’s Mio 168 GPS was introduced in the Korean market in the fourth quarter of 2003, and 3,233 units shipped in that quarter, giving this single product a 16.6% share. Shipments accelerated in the first quarter of 2004, reaching 11,100 units, for a market share of 47.5%—a three-fold increase. As for Taiwan, the Mio PDAs achieved a market share of 15.7%, the second highest of any PDA product in Taiwan. In the subsequent quarter, the first of 2004, it built on this success, besting the world’s largest PDA vendor to take the top spot with a market share of 25.5%. The Mio 168, an all-in-one PDA with built-in GPS capabilities, has driven MiTAC’s global PDA sales, and has enabled MiTAC to attain a market-leading position in many countries around the world. Currently, MiTAC is pushing aggressively into markets in Europe, North America, and Australia, and the company expects the results of these efforts to become increasingly evident after the second quarter. MiTAC’s potential in the Asian and worldwide PDA markets cannot be overlooked.

According to the results announced by IDC, MiTAC’s overall share of the PDA market in Asia (not including Japan) was 4% in the fourth quarter of 2003. Just one quarter later (Q1 2004), this share had increased to 9.2%, representing shipments of 32,472 units. Samuel Wang, general manager of MiTAC’s mobile communications business unit stated, “MiTAC will launch several GPS-based handheld wireless communications-enabled car navigation systems in the second half of 2004. We will take advantage of our R&D innovation, fast time-to-market, strategic partnerships with electronic map suppliers around the world, and comprehensive global after-sales service network to establish a leadership position in the global wireless communications market.

Credit: Sammy Huang (