U.S. Tablet Sales Led by iPad in 2013 as Chromebooks Overtake MacBooks

[batchtaster]

I call BS on these numbers. I work in computers. I live and breathe computers. I have NEVER seen a Chromebook in the wild. Never.

Me either. And that includes walking around the campus library, cafes and communal areas, and even the local mall with people using their laptops on the Wi-Fi at the mall coffee shops. Without any prompting from me whatsoever, my father, sister and one of my friends bought new MacBooks, either upgrading their existing laptops or switching from a PC.

I sit in the vicinity of our Helpdesk and I hear them help people (students, staff) all day long with getting their devices onto the Wi-Fi network (mostly because the SSID is non-obvious for a bunch of uninteresting reasons). It's all Windows PCs, MacBooks and iPads, with an occasional Android and, once every couple of weeks, a Windows phone or tablet.

I realize an anecdotal assessment might be unsatisfactory. So, how about some stats? According to our helpdesk database, we've helped with exactly two (2) Chromebooks in the last 18 months (40,000 students), both Wi-Fi assistance. On the other hand, we've helped with 20 pure desktop Linux machines, covering VPN and Wi-Fi connections. Our KB database doesn't even have a single Chromebook/ChromeOS article in it. The KB annotations list a query from a support agent about whether we need any ChromeOS doco, and the response from the Helpdesk Manager is that the effort involved far exceeds how often it ever comes up.

Our web analytics also reports ChromeOS usage so low it falls into the 1%-"Other" bucket.

So, yeah, I call BS and shenanigans on those numbers too.

 

[oldhifi]

"Google Chromebooks made up a bigger percentage of the laptop market compared to Mac notebooks."

LOL, not even close in performance or quality..

 

[doasis23]

My understanding, and correct me if I am wrong, is that if you do not have an internet connection, a chrome book is useless. So on those long 8-9 hr flights across the pond I would have a huge paperweight. My iPad is more useful than that.

For most things yes but you can create and edit docs locally and play video and music off a USB.

 

[zedsdead]

I am a teacher in a suburban school district on Long Island, and the district is considering moving as much as it can to Chromebooks. iPads aren't cheap enough and the district is saying they need to have a keyboard and mouse/trackpad for the upcoming all on line state testing.

They love the idea of 20gb free that come with google drive. Along with the other apps.

Apple needs to step up its low cost alternatives if they want to stay in education. Having the best product won't work in that marketplace.

My department has several Apple TVs and I use them in the classroom with my ipad and MacBook Pro. But my boss recently said to me, "have you heard about the chrome cast? Only $35.

I don't think Chromebooks are good for me, or for serious work. But for basic internet, email, and documents, many people and markets will buy them. Especially in education.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Where are all the people who actually like these Chromebooks? I know a few people who own them (won at raffles or given at work) but all of them complain. But looking at Amazon, they have stellar reviews. So either the review system is being gamed, or all of the people I know are in a tiny minority of people who don't like them.

 

[cgsnipinva]

Absolutely nothing but the Chromebooks being sold are to replace laptops or for new consumers not as companion pieces to existing laptops.

Oh I agree with you on that point - just on the value proposition. As I stated earlier - I think Google has done a great job with its cloud based/online products - but you only need a Chrome browser to take advantage. I can do everything I need both for work and personal with my MBP. It seems to make more sense to be able to do everything I need with one device before needing two or more devices.

As others have stated - I think ChromeBooks are going after the low priced Windows Laptop market not Apple's territory.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Chromebook is not a real laptop. It's an overpriced toy that is essentially useless in the real world. Macbooks continue to dominate in the real laptop market segment with the world's most advanced operating system OS X.

Where do the Macbooks dominate the market?

 

[Oletros]

A few weeks ago the power went out so I just read ony iPad, without Internet is that even possible on a chromebook?

Yes, it is possible, there is HTML local storage

 

[TallManNY]

I don't get it. I work at a university and I see a LOT of people with laptops... and I can only recall one Chromebook, ever. Mac laptops are extremely popular, both with students and with faculty - I'd guess it's about 50% of the laptops I see are Macs. Maybe it's different as we're a technical department (EE) that's right next to the CSE department - so those are the students and faculty I tend to see.

As a side note - a quarter or so of our faculty really like the Surface. iPads and Android tablets are neck in neck, but both are definitely in second place.

Your in a University. Only about 1/3 of Americans will ever attend college. The other 2/3 is more likely to make less money than the college graduates. Significantly less. So the cheap chromebooks are likely to be sold to the less well off in larger numbers. You are basically looking at a somewhat elite subsection of Americans.

 

[KPOM]

That is amazing number for the Chromebooks. Kinda remarkable it sold 5x Macbooks despite low consumer awareness. No wonder MS is scared ********.

It's the new netbook. These things start at $199, and for some people are more useful than an iPad or Android tablet.

It does create an interesting "problem" for Google (one I'm sure they don't mind having) in that they now have to grapple with whether and how to merge Android and Chromebook.

 

[AppleScruff1]

How may cores do you need to update a facebook page?

If you read the new Mac Pro threads, I'm thinking at least 6.

 

[mdelvecchio]

I think that tablets - including the iPad - are also overpriced and useless toys.

how quaint. better tell my company and countless others that our tools are useless. nope. fact -- different tools are more (and less) useful to different people. no different than the tools in a hardware store. if you need a hammer, a saw may be useless to you...but this in no way makes saws useless.

And I don't see where OS X is more advanced than the competition. I like OS X, but it's not in any regard more advanced or better than Linux, FreeBSD or Windows. That's just marketing nonsense.

that's just your opinion (and arguably also nonsense). there are many cases to be made for OS X (Unix) being more advanced and better than Windows. not going to regurgitate them here.

 

[Rogifan]

I am a teacher in a suburban school district on Long Island, and the district is considering moving as much as it can to Chromebooks. iPads aren't cheap enough and the district is saying they need to have a keyboard and mouse/trackpad for the upcoming all on line state testing.

They love the idea of 20gb free that come with google drive. Along with the other apps.

Apple needs to step up its low cost alternatives if they want to stay in education. Having the best product won't work in that marketplace.

My department has several Apple TVs and I use them in the classroom with my ipad and MacBook Pro. But my boss recently said to me, "have you heard about the chrome cast? Only $35.

I don't think Chromebooks are good for me, or for serious work. But for basic internet, email, and documents, many people and markets will buy them. Especially in education.

I still think Microsoft should be more worried than Apple. It's their OEMs that are pushing Chromeboooks and even Android tablets. Also do any Windows OEMs really have brand loyalty? I suspect for people who are price conscious they'll go with whatever the cheapest option is (that isn't a steaming pile of garbage).

 

[PatriotInvasion]

With the rising popularity of tablets and Chromebooks in the $299-$499 price range, Apple will have a tougher and tougher sell on the Mac commanding over $1,000 for every model. There was a time when people expected to pay that much for a computer but those days are numbered.

Time to make the MacBook Air $799 if they want to keep the Mac alive.

 

[The Doctor11]

People are buying chromebooks??????????

 

[richman555]

A Chromebook is much more like a tablet for those who don't want a tablet.

 

[TallManNY]

I replaced my MacBook for the se reasons. I don't care for the chromebook at all, and if I read correctly it is useless without Internet. At least with my iPad I can download a magazine, a books, or at games still without Internet.
A few weeks ago the power went out so I just read ony iPad, without Internet is that even possible on a chromebook?

You read incorrectly. Chromebook works without internet. Now it only has 16GB of storage. So you won't have much on it. But anything you have on it will be accessible. You can have locally stored files. All the basic productivity apps have an offline mode. You need to be connected to the internet to set your chromebook up and to download the offline version of Apps. But yes it has always been programed to remain functional offline. They expect you to travel with this thing and to be in an airplane without internet access, for example.

 

[KPOM]

I don't see why anyone would want a chrome book. Even the commercials don't show any useful features.

On the other hand Tim is laughing in the picture because he is saying who needs touch screens.

This is the bigger factor that is hurting sales not Chrome books.

Likely we'll never see a touchscreen Mac, but we might see iOS evolve into a more powerful OS capable of driving a device similar to a Chromebook or a larger iPad. Google and Apple are following a 2-OS strategy. Only Microsoft is attempting to create a single OS to run on everything from smartphones to desktop PCs.

 

[perealb]

Comparing Macbooks to Chromebooks is like comparing apples to oranges or computers to cars but I understand they do look like notebooks so the comparison might hold for stupid people. It might still be enough for some people but for the ones that understand what one can do with one and the other, it's hard to make a comparison.

 

[AppleScruff1]

It is really sad that there isn't a single PC OEM that can figure out the 5-6 simple rules used by Apple to build a good computer, and scale that down to $300-$800 territory. It is easily doable, but nobody is doing it.
No nonsensical touchscreen, just a good trackpad, good keyboard, decent screen, generous battery and pure SSD. It should be easy to build a $400 laptop with these rules, less powerful hardware than the Macbook Air but still plenty powerful for the common user.
But no, nobody understands it. So the PC industry deserves this.

You can get a Dell XPS-12 with SSD, Haswell processor, 1080p touchscreen, good keyboard, trackpad and battery life from Microsoft for $699. This is the model with the screen that flips to make it tablet like, although it is too heavy to use soley as a tablet, I could see someone using it in there lap to show pictures, etc. I don't know how long the price will stay at this point, but it's a good deal for the money.

 

[richman555]

People are buying chromebooks??????????

A lot of people bought Chromebooks this holiday season as low cost laptops.

I saw a lot of them offered on Home Shopping Network, etc where people were mostly excited about the colors.

 

[TallManNY]

The fact these things barely show up on web traffic reports suggests that they do end up dumped in a drawer, never to be seen again

I think next year is going to be when Chromebooks get going. The suite of Google Apps is becoming very compelling. Even Google + is making gains among the youth. The price for these devices is amazing and the hardware seems to be quite good. Wifi is becoming fairly ubiquitous. And every Verizon smartphone user can turn their phone into a wifi hotspot for no additional cost (though data usage will count). AT&T and the other carriers might have followed that policy, I'm not sure.

I think Chromebooks are going to become a serious competitor for cheap windows machines. Windows 8 is such a pain to use, why not learn a new OS? And if that new OS is easier to use and the laptop is 1/3 the price of a PC with comparable build quality, it starts to become a very compelling product.

 

[AppleScruff1]

'good enough' we are setting the bar high.

Apple doesn't make 'good enough'

What about maps and iOS 7?

 

[robogobo]

People are a bit confused by the disparity between these sales figures and the number of Chromebooks they see out in the wild actually in use. But to me it all makes sense. At $199, it's a risk-free purchase, so people figure "what the heck". But they're obviously getting them home and either use them as a secondary appliance or leave them unused collecting dust. The web stats on Chrome OS usage seem to indicate the latter. In any case they're at best a tablet with hardware keyboard, and should be compared as such. To compare them to MacBooks or even Windows notebooks in any way other than appearance is ridiculous.

 

[2crazy]

In the wild? like when I'm camping?

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Are you camping too?

We are camping in the IT world. Never seen one alive myself either But I think that's because technical people are not exactly the target market for these devices.