Low Chromebook sales makes us think it needs a Pixel 6 like rejuvenation

Source: Acer

Chromebooks saw a huge spike in sales during the early part of the pandemic. When everybody was shifting to working from home and even digital learning, Chromebooks came up as an affordable option for many. Google's Chrome OS is easy to set up, use, and most importantly, a superb piece of software for internet-based tasks. However, the sales of Chromebook saw a download after Q4 2020.

Even though Chromebooks saw an overall growth in yearly shipments, a report from IDC claims that the quarterly shipments dropped by more than 60% in Q4 2021 (compared to the same period in 2020). In Q4 2021, only around 5 million Chromebooks were shipped whereas, during the same time period in 2020, over 13 million units were shipped.

Source: IDC

Acer shipped the most Chromebooks in Q4 2021. The company replaced Dell, which took second place. Previous Chromebook leaders, Lenovo and HP, didn't even manage to cross the 1 million shipment mark in Q4 2021. The shipments dropped by 73% for Lenovo and nearly 87% for HP.

Source: IDC

Thankfully, the market still saw an overall growth which makes us think there's still a market for Google Chrome OS-based laptops. In 2021, the Chromebook market saw a jump of nearly 13% year on year with all the companies other than Dell reporting growing shipments. This brings us to the main point: Chromebooks need a rejuvenation like Google Pixel 6.

Yes, unlike the Pixel 6 which only Google makes, Chromebooks are made by every major laptop manufacturer in the world. The Mountain View giant cannot control what other brands are making, but Google needs to come up with an exemplary low-cost Chromebook that makes an impact on the market. There needs to be a Pixel-branded Chromebook that competes against the likes of Apple MacBooks and Microsoft Surfaces.

We think that Google needs to re-do the idea of Chrome OS and Chromebooks before the sales go down even further. What are your thoughts on it? Let us know in the comments section below!

Source: IDC | Via: 9to5Google