Chromebook Shipments Surge 75% YoY - Another Record Quarter

Chromebook Sales Continue Strong Growth

During the previous quarter, Chromebook shipments experienced a substantial 275% increase year-over-year, reaching 12 million units. While the growth rate has moderated to 75% year-over-year for the current quarter, this remains a highly positive result.

The Chromebook category achieved 11.9 million shipments, according to the latest data released by the research firm Canalys.

Pandemic-Driven Demand and Beyond

Like the broader PC market, Chromebooks benefited from the surge in demand triggered by the pandemic. Both traditional tablets and PCs saw increased sales as individuals sought to establish home office environments.

However, Google’s operating system experienced an even more significant boost due to the widespread adoption of remote learning initiatives in schools.

Sustained Momentum and Enterprise Focus

Despite the reopening of schools in many areas after over a year of pandemic-related closures, Chromebook sales remain robust. Google is actively seeking to leverage this success.

The company is once again focusing on expanding the operating system’s reach beyond its established presence in the education sector.

Targeting the Business Sector

Google is demonstrably targeting the enterprise segment, where systems offering both ease of deployment and robust security features are highly valued.

Brian Lynch of Canalys stated, “With Chrome’s position in the education sector being relatively secure, Google is poised to invest heavily in the commercial segment this year.”

Expect a strong emphasis on attracting small businesses through updated services, including the newly introduced ‘Individual’ subscription tier for Google Workspace and promotional offers on CloudReady licenses.

These licenses facilitate the repurposing of older PCs for deployment alongside existing Chromebook fleets.

Competition in the Business Space

Apple is also aggressively pursuing the business market, particularly following the release of several systems powered by the M1 chip. The company recently launched a dedicated Apple at Work website.

“Apple integrates seamlessly into your current infrastructure, regardless of whether your organization utilizes 10 or 10,000 devices,” the company asserts regarding its new IT initiatives.

Zero-touch deployment enables remote configuration and management, and IT departments can customize the setup process for individual teams.

This ensures that every Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV is ready for immediate use.

Microsoft's Response

With the anticipated arrival of Windows 11 later this year, Microsoft will undoubtedly present its own arguments for maintaining its dominance in both traditional and remote office environments.

The competition among these tech giants is expected to intensify as they vie for market share in the evolving landscape of computing.