Google Chromebook shipments totaled an estimated 2.1 million in 2013, with 89 percent destined for North America. That’s expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28 percent, to 11 million, in 2019, according to a forecast from ABI Research.
Chromebooks could revive growth in PCs by driving sales of ultraportable models, as cost, network connectivity and growing use of cloud services foster uptake, ABI says.
“There are many events that can shift the market in 2014, including the EOL of Windows XP, the adoption of Chromebooks, and a stronger focus on Web and cloud services,” ABI senior practice director Jeff Orr was quoted in a press release. “How consumers and business audiences respond to these changes will impact the trajectory of the market.”
Growth in ultraportable sales was minimal in 4Q 2013, according to ABI’s Media Tablets, Ultrabooks and eReaders Market Research service, even during the holiday season. Moreover, average selling prices (ASPs) dropped 7.4 percent year over year, a decline that ABI sees continuing through 2019 amidst competition from mobile devices and other portable form factors.
“ABI Research tracked Chromebooks across six regions and found the average selling price (ASP) to be US$338,” research analyst Stephanie Van Vactor highlighted.
“This truly budget-driven device is a disruptive force to the portable PC market. The ASP and shipment growth of Chromebooks shows the market responding to products for the budget conscious; a reaction from a slowly reviving economy along with interest from the education business vertical.”
