Chromebooks - latest news and discussion

[editor]

Looks like maybe Google got the Chromebook idea right after all, with sales of Chromebooks going through the roof this year.

Across product segments, Chromebooks accounted for 21 percent of all notebook sales and 8 percent of all computer and tablet sales during the period, up from one tenth of a percent in 2012, says NPD....

From 0.1% in 2012, Chromebooks took 21% of all notebook sales — 8% of all computer sales — during the period from January to November 2013.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13...oks-in-commercial-sector-as-ipad-loses-ground

 

[editor]

Looks like the Chromebook sales are still rising, according to Amazon (US) too:

Amazon has released its annual round-up of the Christmas shopping period and while as usual it hasn't revealed how many units it has sold, the list makes for interesting reading about people's online shopping habits in 2013.

Chromebooks from Samsung and Acer occupied first and third spot in the laptop category over the Christmas period with the Windows-powered Asus Transformer Book wedged between the two. This is the second year in a row that Google's Chrome-powered laptops topped the best-selling laptop category, with four Chromebook model in total appearing in the top 10.

While Google may claim the attraction is the Chrome operating system, the real attraction is the low cost, with the Samsung Chromebook costing just £199.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/googles-chromebooks-top-amazon-christmas-best-seller-list-again-1430498

I think I'm going to take another look at these things. This looks a bargain for £229.

In general, Chrome OS is probably capable of doing most things thatmost people will want to do most of the time (browsing, email, playing some music, watching videos on a fast connection - including Netflix - or from a USB stick with the common formats). The problem comes when you try to do something that can't be done in the browser or with a web app.

For instance, Skype (owned by Microsoft, of course) isn't available on Chrome OS. You can do video calling via Google’s own Hangouts messaging and video chat service – just not Skype.

Similarly, common video editing applications such as iMovie, Movie Maker or Adobe Premiere aren't available. Photo editing is more difficult too, though there are free apps available in the Chrome store that offer at least basic tools for both multimedia activities.
http://www.theguardian.com/technolo...prisingly-good-for-the-price-and-a-chromebook

 

[RedDragon]

Out sells MacBook 5 2 1, well colour me surprised.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Rising market share in a dying tech sector isn't what I'd call success.

 

[elbows]

Its hardly a dying tech sector since that first article includes tablets, and its far from clear that laptops can be described as dying in the longer-term. Sustained diversity of form-factors and platforms seems more likely to me.

I'm glad the Chromebook has some legs at this point, although in some ways its an indication that hybrid tablet-laptops have been slow to hit the right price-point and actually achieve the 'best of both worlds'.

 

[editor]

Its hardly a dying tech sector since that first article includes tablets, and its far from clear that laptops can be described as dying in the longer-term. Sustained diversity of form-factors and platforms seems more likely to me.

Indeed. You really would have to be some sort of deluded fanboy of the highest order to describe a massive jump in sales for a new category of 400k units to 1.76 million in 11 months nothing other than a success.

 

[Bonfirelight]

I have never actually seen or heard of anyone having one in the wild..
Looking at that, I also can't believe they are outselling android tablets, given they seem to be so ubiquitous nowadays.

 

[elbows]

I have never actually seen or heard of anyone having one in the wild..
Looking at that, I also can't believe they are outselling android tablets, given they seem to be so ubiquitous nowadays.

The figures in the first article are for the commercial sector, i.e. sales to businesses. With that in mind its not surprising that its done better than android tablets, which haven't taken the business world by storm yet, and where tablets in general have been adopted at a more cautious rate than has been the case for home users. Additionally much of Androids success, especially until relatively recently, has been globally, with the US showing a stronger Apple etc bias, and the figures in the article are just for the US.

 

[Bonfirelight]

The figures in the first article are for the commercial sector, i.e. sales to businesses. With that in mind its not surprising that its done better than android tablets, which haven't taken the business world by storm yet, and where tablets in general have been adopted at a more cautious rate than has been the case for home users. Additionally much of Androids success, especially until relatively recently, has been globally, with the US showing a stronger Apple etc bias, and the figures in the article are just for the US.

gotcha.
So the story is really, Chromebooks (and android tablets by the look of their %age increase) have eaten into the US notebook market, taking sales from Microsoft and Apple.

good for them. still never seen anyone with one over here though, in business or otherwise

 

[Tankus]

Surprised how low the android tablets were

 

[Bob_the_lost]

Yeah, I thought that Android would be outselling OSX by now in the tablet market. Apple are, to use a completely inaccurate comparison, an also-ran in the phone market these days but i guess their crumbling market share hasn't spread to tablets as fast.

 

[zenie]

gotcha.
So the story is really, Chromebooks (and android tablets by the look of their %age increase) have eaten into the US notebook market, taking sales from Microsoft and Apple.

good for them. still never seen anyone with one over here though, in business or otherwise

Quite a few kids have them to do schoolwork on.

 

[elbows]

Yeah, I thought that Android would be outselling OSX by now in the tablet market. Apple are, to use a completely inaccurate comparison, an also-ran in the phone market these days but i guess their crumbling market share hasn't spread to tablets as fast.

It's been a slower decline, and for a long time I had to take the various research reports with a pinch of salt due to not having actual sales figures from all the manufacturers. However in hindsight it does seem most likely that from somewhere around the second half of 2012, Apples share of the total tablet market dipped below 50% and/or was overtaken by Android as a whole. No single competing product got sales that approach iPad levels, nor did a single manufacturer overtake Apple, although Samsung are apparently closest to pulling that off. Apple will probably have a slight bounce-back for the quarter where new iPads came out, but I doubt it will make a huge difference in the grand scheme of things.

 

[editor]

I have never actually seen or heard of anyone having one in the wild..
Looking at that, I also can't believe they are outselling android tablets, given they seem to be so ubiquitous nowadays.

Funnily enough, a friend of mine in Cardiff was telling me that he was going to buy one for his 14 yr old daughter - said it was perfect for her school needs at a fantastic price.

 

[editor]

gotcha.
So the story is really, Chromebooks (and android tablets by the look of their %age increase) have eaten into the US notebook market, taking sales from Microsoft and Apple.

It's a bigger deal than you might expect too, because Apple laptops are everywhere in America.

 

[free spirit]

By my reading of that, Google have overtaken Apple in terms of the number of devices sold with their operating systems, between Chrome and Android.

 

[editor]

Surprised how low the android tablets were

Android have been outselling Apple tablets for some time.

Android dominates tablet market as the iPad stumbles in Q3
It’s not exactly news that Android has taken over the bulk of the smart device market, but in Q3 2013, Android appears to have claimed yet another title from Apple: The most revenue from tablet sales in a quarter. Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty calculated that Android tablets were generating more revenue than iPads based on IDC’s numbers from October, which showed very little year-over-year growth for iPads and a major loss in Apple’s worldwide tablet market share.

“For the first time, Android devices accounted for a greater share of the market in revenue terms than iOS,” wrote Huberty in a note to her clients. “Android revenue share reached 46.2% in 3Q13, for the first time exceeding iPad share of 45.6%. Android’s unit share grew to 66.7% from 58.5% a year ago, largely driven by Samsung and Lenovo, while iPad share declined to 29.7% from 40.2%.”
http://bgr.com/2013/11/15/android-tablet-market-share-q3-2013/

 

[Tankus]

Thats what I thought ....so what's with the graph...?

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Oh joy: Google dominates yet another aspect of the market. Too bad the old but effective Anti-Combines legislation seems to have lost its bite with the passage of time.

 

[ovaltina]

I got my Samsung in the summer so I could do a writing project in the park while walking the dogs. I wasn't expecting to use it for much except writing but it's so quick compared to my old PC and work Apple Mac, I use it all the time.
I can understand it being good for schools, because there's no software or viruses on it that could go wrong. Less hassle and cost for the school. The same goes for older people. I'm planning to get one for my mum.
I think Google is the only company that could have made a viable thin client consumer - focused computer like the chromebook. Ms has a lot to lose if it takes market share from Windows & office.

 

[newbie]

I'm astonished that more Windows tablets sold than Apple laptops, which lost 1/3 of their sales over the two periods.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Oh joy: Google dominates yet another aspect of the market. Too bad the old but effective Anti-Combines legislation seems to have lost its bite with the passage of time.

Still a long way from dominating laptop sales.

 

[peterkro]

Jesus Christ could we have a fucking rest from OS/tech companies wars it's a fucking new year,how about giving it a miss until 2015?

 

[editor]

I'm astonished that more Windows tablets sold than Apple laptops, which lost 1/3 of their sales over the two periods.

The Windows tablets are pretty good products. The new Asus Transformer Book is likely to prove a winner too,

 

[newbie]

no doubt, and this is US corporate rather than UK street, but as yet no-one has even so much as mentioned them to me, and the internet conversation I've seen has been very muted, nor have I noticed anyone using one. W8, by contrast has been much discussed and much derided, which presumably accounts for the drop in sales of Windows laptops (& desktops), so people picking up a W8 tablet and running with it is, tmm, surprising.

 

[editor]

no doubt, and this is US corporate rather than UK street, but as yet no-one has even so much as mentioned them to me, and the internet conversation I've seen has been very muted, nor have I noticed anyone using one. W8, by contrast has been much discussed and much derided, which presumably accounts for the drop in sales of Windows laptops (& desktops), so people picking up a W8 tablet and running with it is, tmm, surprising.

The biggest selling laptops on Amazon over this year were:

1. Samsung Chromebook
2. ASUS Transformer Book (Windows)
3. Acer Chromebook

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/googles-chromebooks-top-amazon-christmas-best-seller-list-again-1430498

 

[fractionMan]

Rising market share in a dying tech sector isn't what I'd call success.

whatnow?

 

[editor]

I've just looked at Amazon UK's current list of best selling laptops, and the Samsung Chromebook is #2.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Sellers-Computers-Accessories-Laptops/zgbs/computers/429886031

 

[fractionMan]

My dad's been asking about laptops. If he were skinter I might point him in this direction. But for an extra hundred I'd probably point him at the asus transformer windows machine or lenovo from the budget laptop threads.

 

[pesh]

i finally saw a Chromebook in the wild the over day. i used it to order a pizza. it's trackpad infuriated me. this concludes my review of the Chromebook.