Chromebooks surged 74% in remote work boom

According to the research by Finaria, Chromebook shipments grew by 74% to 29.6-million units in 2020. Growth is expected to carry into 2021, with total shipments estimated at 40 million, up by 37% year-over-year (YoY).

In Q4 2020, the global Chromebook market set a personal best with 11.2 million unit sales. That marked a remarkable 287% YoY increase from Q4 2019.

The growth is expected to continue in 2021 as demand from a good number of markets for a 1:1 device to student ratio has yet to be met. TrendForce analysts project a 37% YoY growth in the number of shipments driving the annual total to over 40 million units by the end of 2021.

Beyond the education sector, there has also been an increased interest from the traditional commercial customers and consumers. They seek out Chromebooks due to their affordability and relative ease of maintenance.

Lenovo’s Q4 2020 Chromebook Shipments Grew by 1,766%

Based on a report by Canalys, HP had the highest unit shipments and market share of Chromebooks during the year. HP’s shipments totalled 9.4 million, up from 5.1 million in 2019, which is an increase of 83% YoY. That brought its market share to 31%, down from 35% in the previous year.

Lenovo was second with 6.8 million unit shipments, up from 1.7 million in 2019, marking a 287% YoY increase. Its market share shot up from 12% to 22%. In Q4 alone, Lenovo shipped 2.8 million units, 1,766% higher than Q4 2019.

Dell ranked third, having shipped 4.6 million units, 58% higher than 2019’s 2.9 million units. Its market share was 15%, down from 21% in 2019.

Samsung posted the highest growth, shipping 1.9 million units, up by 400% from 0.4 million in the previous year. That placed it in the fifth spot behind Acer, which sold 4.3 million units, up by 43% YoY. Samsung’s Q4 shipments of 1.0 million units, 630% higher than Q4 2019, threw Asus out of the top five.

Due to the spectacular growth of Chromebooks in 2020, the number of laptops using Microsoft Windows declined significantly. For the first time in history, Windows’ market share fell below 80%.

Chromebooks had a 14.8% market share, which is expected to grow to 18.5% in 2021. Windows’ market share, on the other hand, is expected to keep dropping, stabilizing at between 70% and 75%.

Chrome OS is projected to stabilize at a 15% to 20% share while Mac OS is set to drop below 10%.

The full story, statistics and information can be found here: https://www.finaria.it/pr/chromebook-shipments-surged-by-74-in-2020-driving-windows-market-share-below-80/

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