Chromebooks shipments touched 2.1 million in 2013 with nearly 89 percent of total shipments reaching North America, said ABI Research.
ABI Research forecasts an increase of CAGR 28 percent in Chromebooks shipments to 11 million in 2019. The growth driver will be the expansion of Chromebooks.
The research report said the average selling price (ASP) of Chromebooks will decrease from $338 ASP in 2013. ABI Research tracked Chromebooks across six regions.
ABI Research analyst Stephanie Van Vactor said the ASP and shipment growth of Chromebooks show the market is responding to products for the budget conscious; a reaction from a slowly reviving economy along with interest from the education business vertical.
Beyond Chromebooks, the broader portable PC market will continue its struggle to regain market growth. The ultraportable segment, powered by the Windows 8 operating system and includes the versatile 2-in-1 configurations, saw minimal growth during Q4 2013 even with the holiday season, said ABI Research.
ABI Research said the ASP of ultraportables declined 7.4 percent in 2013. ASPs will decline through 2019 as competition for share of wallet from mobile devices and other form-factors continues.
Cost, connectivity, and greater reliance on cloud services will be driving forces in growth for ultraportable PCs. Chromebooks have the potential to change the market and consumers are still undecided but nonetheless intrigued.
“There are many events that can shift the market in 2014, including the EOL of Windows XP, the adoption of Chromebooks, and a stronger focus on web and cloud services,” said ABI Research senior practice director Jeff Orr.
PC market size
IT market research agency IDC earlier said PC shipments will decrease by 6 percent in 2014 and decline through 2018.
Worldwide PC shipments fell by 9.8 percent in 2013, according to IDC estimates shared on 4 March.
“Tectonic changes in politics will affect commercial spending in some of the major countries, like India, Indonesia, and Thailand, which are due to hold elections this year. The region is also seeing a void in public sector spending this year after huge education deals seen in India and Malaysia last year that are not expected to materialize in 2014,” said Andi Handoko, research manager for Client Devices, IDC Asia/Pacific.
Tablet market size
Meanwhile, Juniper Research earlier said that Tablet Hybrid devices will ship nearly 50 million units by 2018, rising from an estimated 9.5 million in 2013. Tablet Hybrids are designed to achieve additional or improved tablet functionality through the use of accessories, or can be in the form of an Ultrabook that can have the screen removed to perform as a slate.
The significant drop in the price of Tablets has meant that several governments and schools are now providing students with either free or subsidized tablets. Schemes include the government of Thailand’s One Tablet PC per Child policy or the Aakash tablets subsidized by the Indian government, said Juniper Research.
Hybrid ASP will remain stable over the forecast period due to the more affluent demographics.
If Intel is able to achieve its goal of 40 million tablets with its processor technology, the silicon vendor will suddenly become a significant player.
ABI Research senior practice director Jeff Orr said that one of the greatest opportunities this year is for development, manufacturing and marketing of tablets on a regional and even local level, which shakes up the vendor ecosystem of the past four years. Partnerships and deals struck this year will be key for the next few years of tablet adoption.
picture source: talkandroid
Baburajan K
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