Mobile Computing Research
U.S. Schools To Help Double Chromebook Deployments This Year
According to a new report, unit shipments of Chromebooks are likely to double this year, with the bulk of deployments happening in the United States, driven mainly by strong demand in schools, particularly elementary schools.
In the second quarter, unit shipments grew 67 percent over the previous quarter, according to information released by market analysts at ABI Research. Acer, Samsung and HP were the leading Chromebook manufacturers in the first half of the year, accounting for nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of all Chromebook shipments worldwide, and are expected to maintain that lead in the second half. Acer was the top manufacturer; Dell was also a contender.
According to ABI: "In late 2013, Chromebooks entered the market when notebook sales were declining and tablet sales were on the rise. In contrast, 1H 2014 has demonstrated slowing tablet growth and the revival of the notebook market."
ABI forecast that North America would account for 78 percent of all Chromebook sales this year, driven by school purchases, though consumers also seem to be adopting the portable devices powered by Google's Chrome OS. Outside of North America, "business-purchasing entities" accounted for the bulk of Chromebook sales.
"Chromebooks may be a temporary fad similar to the netbook, but the form-factor design and low-cost price tag draws considerable interest that may be a longer term trend," according to ABI Research Analyst Stephanie Van Vactor. "Chromebooks may have more of a place in the market than originally anticipated, especially as more vendors jump on board and sales continue to grow."
The latest Chromebook report is part of ABI's larger "Media Tablets, Ultrabooks & eReaders" research, which can be accessed online for a fee.