Chromebooks gobbled 21% of notebook sales in 2013 tips NPD

Several years ago, the netbook boomed and grabbed a significant portion of the computer market thanks to its lower price. One of the most costly parts of a notebook is the Windows operating system. That fact has led to some alternative OS' trying to make a dent in the market over the years, including the Chrome OS from Google.

Those alternative operating systems have had varying degrees of success. Research firm NPD Group has published some numbers recently that show Chromebooks are making an impressive impact on the notebook market. Chromebook machines made up 21% of notebook sales in 2013 according to the NPD report.

I'd wager a large percentage of those Chromebook sales were to schools. Back in October, we learned that 22% of K-12 schools in the US are using Chromebooks. The statistics also show another trend Microsoft won’t like, Windows notebooks showed no growth between 2012 and 2013.

NPD's report also showed that combined sales of Apple notebooks and desktops declined by 7%. NPD reports that there were 1.76 million Chromebooks shipped between January and November 2013. In 2012 only about 400,000 Chromebooks shipped. Chromebooks also did well over the holiday shopping season with Amazon listing two Chromebooks in the top three spots for holiday best sellers.




SOURCE: PCMag

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Chromebooks see incredibly kind 2013

Chromebook sales have made a stratospheric climb in 2013. Last year, U.S. sales for notebooks running the Chrome OS made up just 0.2% of the computer and tablet market. This year through November, that share is now 10%.

What's more, Chromebooks now claim a 21% share of all notebook sales. It's clear the wide (and widening) array of inexpensive notebooks running Google's operating system are gaining favor. The incredible gains are attributable to two likely factors.

First is price. Your average popular Chromebook runs about $250. That stands in marked contrast to popular Windows notebooks, which average about $100 more at $350. That's according to Amazon and an analysis by Computer World. The lower price points of Chromebooks are largely due to the fact that Google gives away the Chrome OS for free to OEMs, while Microsoft charges.

The second reason is that many average users don't need everything a full-fledged notebook affords. For many, the Chrome OS does everything they need it to do: get them on the Internet, let them share things, and provide a portal for cloud storage.

Whether 2014 is as good to Chromebooks as 2013 was remains to be seen, of course. What's certain is Microsoft has work to do if it wants to stay at the top of the game.






SOURCE: Computer World

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