It is no secret that Chromebooks are rapidly growing in popularity. A recent report from ABI Research, however, shows an unprecedented level of growth. According to ABI Research, “an estimated 2.1 million Chromebooks shipped in 2013 with nearly 89% of total shipments reaching North America.”1 However, ABI notes that this trend is not carrying over into the more broad “ultraportable segment,” which includes Ultrabooks, Netbooks, Notebooks, and Smartbooks in addition to Chromebooks. This ultraportable segment “saw minimal growth during 4Q 2013 even with the holiday season. ABI Research also saw the ASP [Average Selling Price] of ultraportables decline in 2013 by 7.4% year-over-year. We predict ASPs will continue to decline through 2019 as competition for share of wallet from mobile devices and other form-factors continues.”2
Using the major boost to Chromebook sales in 2013 as a guide, ABI Research is predicting a massive increase in the coming years. The research firm “forecasts an increase of CAGR [Compound Annual Growth Rate] 28% to 11 million in 2019.”3 One of the largest factors, if not the largest factor, driving the massive growth of Chromebooks is the price. ABI Research analyst Stephanie Van Vactor noted as much in a comment:
ABI Research tracked Chromebooks across six regions and found the average selling price (ASP) to be US$338…This truly budget-driven device is a disruptive force to the portable PC market.4
As Chromebook functionality and processing power increase drastically with every new device, and as cloud computing continues to expand, there is the potential for immense growth. Further, as Chromebooks are becoming as capable – or nearly as capable – as laptops, it stands to reason that cost will become the key factor for consumers:
Looking ahead, ABI Research expects cost, connectivity, and greater reliance on cloud services to be driving forces in growth for ultraportable PCs. Chromebooks have the potential to change the market and consumers are still undecided but nonetheless intrigued.5
