Google ends 2013 with a bang : Chromebook sales stronger than Apple
Back in November, Microsoft upped the ante on its “Scroogled!” campaign, bringing in Rick Harrison and his Pawn Stars crew to make fun of Google Chromebooks. According to the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop guys, Chromebooks aren’t real laptops — a wasted investment for tech savvy consumers.
But it looks like the Scroogled campaign did Google more good than harm. According to the NPD Group’s recent numbers, interest in Chromebooks have significantly increased compared to last year.
The report showed that from last year’s 0.2 percent market share, Chromebook interest increased to 9.6 percent in the past months, from January to November. Though that is still minute compared to Windows’ 34.1 percent market share, it managed to beat the Mac’s 1.8 percent share.
“The market for personal computing devices in commercial markets continues to shift and change,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis, NPD. “New products like Chromebooks, and reimagined items like Windows tablets, are now supplementing the revitalization that iPads started in personal computing devices. It is no accident that we are seeing the fruits of this change in the commercial markets as business and institutional buyers exploit the flexibility inherent in the new range of choices now open to them.”
The NPD report stated that this year, sales of desktops, notebooks, and tablets through US commercial channels, accounted for 14.4 million units, which is a 25.4 percent increase compared to last year’s sales.
Of the 14.4 million units sold, Chromebooks and Android tablets collectively held the largest share of units sold with 1.76 million units sold from January to November 2013. This is a huge leap from last year’s 400,000 units sold. And Chromebooks accounted for 21 percent of notebooks sold this year, and eight percent of the total computer and tablets sold just in November.
Google is clearly having a great year, even with Microsoft doing its best to turn consumers away from these non-laptops. While Microsoft doesn’t see the Chromebooks as a laptop because of its constant need to be connected to the Internet, consumers’ desire and ability to always be connected is presenting Google with a good opportunity for these “laptop alternatives.”
photo credit: Morid1n via photopin cc
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