clipped from: www.informationweek.com   
Shipments plunged to 919,916 in the first quarter, compared to 1,549,199 the year before. IDC said the sharp downward trend in the market was accelerated by Dell's decision to leave the market.
The handheld device market is continuing its relentless slide as 36% fewer devices were shipped in the first quarter compared with the same quarter in the previous year, according to a report released Tuesday by IDC.

Shipments plunged to 919,916 in the 2007 quarter versus 1,549,199 the year before. The market research firm said the sharp downward trend in the market was accelerated by Dell's decision to leave the market.

"Dell's exit from the handheld device market underscores the market's decline," said Ramon Llamas, research analyst at IDC's Mobile Device Technology and Trends team, in a prepared statement. "The growing popularity of converged mobile devices combined with the declining prices for laptop computers have put tremendous pressure on the handheld device market."