The “good” news about the PC market is that, by IDC’s count, it only declined by 1.7 percent in the last quarter. The only bright spots? Macs at the high-end and Chromebooks at the low-end. While Apple certainly wins when it comes to profit margins, Chromebook sales are surging upwards. ABI Research found that, in the most recent quarter, Chromebook shipments increased by 67 percent quarter over quarter. The research company expects that year over year, Chromebooks shipments will double.
Sales of Google Chromebook devices soared 67 percent in the third quarter, according to analyst outfit ABI Research, with Acer out in front. The figures show that sales of devices running Google’s Chrome OS grew 67 percent quarter on quarter, and are expected to double year on year. ABI Research hasn’t mentioned specific sales figures, but the bean counters at Gartner said back in August that sales of Chromebooks are likely to surpass the five million mark in 2014. Acer leads this growth, ABI research noted, followed by Samsung and HP. The trio accounted for 71 percent of Chromebook shipments in the first quarter. It’s likely that Samsung’s share of the pie will drop, as the firm recently announced its exit from the European Chromebook market. While Chromebook sales are soaring, this growth hasn’t been led by consumer adoption.
