Windows PCs prioritized over Chromebooks in components shortage

In a tech world nonetheless hindered by part shortages, selections should be made. And on this planet of laptops, plainly alternative is Home windows-based gadgets over these working Chrome OS.

IDC on Monday launched early knowledge from its newest Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. It pointed to a pointy 63.6 % decline in Chromebook shipments, which the IDC defines as “shipments to distribution channels or finish customers, in This autumn 2021 (4.8 million shipments) in comparison with This autumn 2020 with (13.1 million shipments).”

Along with market saturation, provide points additionally harm Chromebook shipments, because the trade nonetheless struggles with a deficit of PC parts, from CPUs to built-in circuits for Wi-Fi modules and energy administration.

“Provide has additionally been unusually tight for Chromebooks as part shortages have led distributors to prioritize Home windows machines attributable to their larger value tags, additional suppressing Chromebook shipments on a worldwide scale,” Jitesh Ubrani, analysis supervisor with IDC’s Mobility and Shopper Gadget Trackers, mentioned in a press release accompanying Monday’s announcement.

Ubrani instructed Ars Technica that IDC would not know for positive if it is particularly Home windows 10 or Home windows 11-based machines getting precedence over Chrome OS gadgets. Windows 11 debuted in 2021, giving PC makers excuse to refresh traces with “Home windows 11-ready” methods.

However with PC availability nonetheless scant, it is probably that Home windows 11 has had a smaller impression on PC gross sales.

“Typically, the launch of a brand new OS has pushed demand, although this time across the demand is already fairly excessive and provide is low, so patrons aren’t making their buy determination primarily based on the model of the OS,” Ubrani instructed Ars Technica. “Consequently, we do not consider Home windows 11 particularly has had an impression on [Chrome OS device shipments] or the PC market usually.”

Ubrani additionally pointed to market saturation within the US and Europe, which have been further hungry for Chromebooks as distant studying and work grew, as slowing international development. In accordance with Ubrani, “Chromebook demand in rising markets has seen continued development previously yr.”

However Chromebooks have been really extra in style in 2021 than in 2020, with 4.4 million extra machines offered. Lenovo noticed the largest development, transferring from 6.7 million Chromebook gross sales in 2020 to eight.3 million in 2021.

At 10.2 million gadgets, HP offered extra Chromebooks final yr than every other vendor.