Published in PC Hardware

All roads no longer lead to Chrome

by on03 February 2022


Sales of Chromebooks fall

Users are picking Windows-based devices over those running Chrome, according to beancounters at IDC.

IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker saw a 63.6 per cent decline in Chromebook shipments, which the IDC defines as "shipments to distribution channels or end users, in the fourth quarter 2021 (4.8 million shipments) compared the same time last year (13.1 million shipments)."

In addition to market saturation, supply issues hurt Chromebook shipments, as the industry still struggles with a deficit of PC components, from CPUs to integrated circuits for Wi-Fi modules and power management.

IDC notes that, while sales of Chromebooks in the US and Europe have fallen off, demand is still growing in emerging markets. However, the global computer component shortage appears to have reversed the tides for Windows 11, as vendors focus on higher-priced hardware products.

IDC's Mobility and Consumer Device Tracker expert Jitesh Ubrani said that supply has been unusually tight for Chromebooks as component shortages have led vendors to prioritise Windows machines due to their higher price tags, further suppressing Chromebook shipments on a global scale.

However, the market still saw an overall growth which means there is a market for Google Chrome OS-based laptops. In 2021, the Chromebook market saw a jump of nearly 13 per cent year on year with all the companies other than Dell reporting growing shipments.

 

Last modified on 03 February 2022
Rate this item
(3 votes)

Read more about: