The PC market is in a dismal state of affairs as worldwide PC sales have fallen more than 10-percent in the last quarter alone. According analyst firm NPD, the only bright spot is the sub US$300 market, and within that segment, the Chromebook sales are up, snagging 20 to 25-percent of the U.S. market. In an interview with Stephen Baker, NPD’s Vice president on Industry Analysis, he told ZdNet:
In the last eight months, Chromebooks have snagged 20 percent to 25 percent of the U.S. market for laptops that cost less than $300. Chromebooks have come out of nowhere to claim about 5 percent of the total PC market.”
Moreover, it is not the high-end Chromebook Pixel generating the sales, but the low-end models, such as the US$249 Samsung ARM-powered Chromebook and the US$199 Acer C710-2856. While it is the Chromebooks that are leading this market segment, the low-end Windows 8 laptops that are on sale on a regular basis are also contributing growth in this segment. These models are taking the place of the old netbook models sold by the carriers.
The Chromebook, in particular, Barker continued, is “growing for lots of reason. First and foremost, even cheap Chromebooks come with better hardware in this iteration.” In addition, Chrome OS now “allows much more off-line activity, the Chromebook is no longer an always online device.” Finally, “Google has spent significant money to promote the Chromebook and explain how it works to consumers.”
Google came to the market with a product that met a need, and when they first arrived on the scene, everybody was asking themselves, “What’s a Chromebook?” Now Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung all make a Chromebook and they are sold in 6,600 retail stores, including Best Buy, Wal-Marts, Staples, Fry’s Electronics, Office Depot, OfficeMax and TigerDirect.
They are everywhere and many people are choosing them as an alternative over a tablet, or as a “partner” to their tablet because of its low price.
Let us know in the comments if you have purchased or are thinking of purchasing a Chromebook.
Source : ZDNet