Sales of the affordable Google Chromebook laptops have surpassed those of Apple's MacBooks during the first quarter of 2016. While various manufacturers like Dell, HP and Lenovo together sold more than 2 billion Google-powered Chromebooks, Apple could sell only 1.76 million MacBooks during the period.
IDC analyst Linn Huang confirmed the milestone to The Verge, saying, "Chrome OS overtook Mac OS in the US in terms of shipments for the first time in 1Q16." While IDC usually does not break out and compare Windows and Chromebook, Huang, said, "Chromebooks are still largely a US K-12 story."
Another significant development regarding Google Chromebooks is that the devices are now receiving complete access to Android's Google Play store, thereby allowing the users of these laptops to run a considerable portion of the 1.5 million Android apps available.
According to IDC, Chromebooks have been very popular in the U.S. schools, and it is clear from the research agency's comments the demand is actually driving U.S. shipments. However, outside of the U.S., it is still not clear how well Google's affordable laptops are precisely doing. In fact, most data from market research firms like IDC as well as Gartner only focuses on Google's triumphs in the U.S.
As expected, this is not good news for Apple, but neither is it the end of the world. For several quarters, Macs have shown remarkable sales growth, avoiding the general trend of overall shrinkage of the PC industry. Moreover, Apple has always been content to own a small segment of the larger market pie completely as well as profitably.
On the other hand, Google surging ahead means there is a lot of pressure on Microsoft. The slow, but steady, attack of Google that has started bearing some real results for the company is certainly not great news for Windows 10.
IDC has predicted a "modest rebound" in the ensuing months, on account of some IT buyers considering Windows 10 transitions and an increase in Chromebook sales in the U.S. While Chromebooks are ready to challenge Microsoft's supremacy in the low-cost laptop market, Google has unveiled its plans to bring Android apps to Chrome OS to make its laptops even more attractive to consumers.
Watch Chromebook vs. MacBook speed test below:
