Samsung made the decision to stop selling Chromebooks in key markets like Europe due to low sales numbers. That decision has seen the company unseated from the top spot by Acer whose 2 million+ shipments of Chromebooks in 2014 saw it go ahead of both Samsung and HP at 1.7 million and 1 million units respectively.
According to data from IT research and advisory firm Gartner, the Chromebook market worldwide is expected to grow by 27% to 7.3 million units in 2015. HP, a late entrant into the Chromebook space, had its fortunes boosted by its deep connections with the education sector since it has emerged as the primary market for Chromebooks. Chromebooks are not only more affordable than notebooks but are also more versatile and capable than other solutions that were thought to be more effective like tablet computers. That saw the education sector contribute at least 72% of the global Chromebook market in 2014.
In the EMEA region, 72% of Chromebook purchases were made by the education sector while Asia-Pacific and the US markets followed closely at 69% and 60% respectively. The education sector is the Chromebook’s backbone market at the moment since Chromebooks are yet to become a favourite of businesses. Google has introduced Chromebook for Work so as to woo businesses particularly small and mid-sized businesses.
While Chromebooks seem to be rising in popularity amongst consumers, outside the key markets like the United States, they are not doing so well. In the case of emerging markets, adoption is hampered by factors like poor connectivity. The North American market accounts for 84% of all Chromebooks sold. EMEA and Asia Pacific follow distantly at 11% and 3% respectively.
