Global Chromebook shipments surge 369% in 1Q21 against year-ago period

Global Chromebook shipments hit 10.93 million units in 1Q21, a 369% increase against the same period of 2020, and HP accounted for 39% of Chromebook shipments in the just-ended quarter, according to preliminary results from the latest Mobile PC market tracker report from Omdia.

The extraordinary year-on-year growth can be attributed in part to the low production base seen in 1Q20 as the pandemic began to take hold across the global economy. In addition, the high growth rate in 1Q21 can be traced to new demand from the increasing prevalence of distance learning and to unfulfilled demand carried forward into the first quarter from 2020.

Omdia also noted that the Y/Y growth rate in 1Q21 would have been even higher but for challenges presented by component shortages and logistics issues.

Global Chromebook shipment CAGR at 27.5% for 2020-2023

In its 4Q20 Mobile PC Market Tracker forecast report, Omdia projects that Chromebook shipments in 2021 will hit 39.1 million units, representing 51.9% Y/Y growth and comprising 16% of total notebook PC shipments in 2021.

Omdia further forecasts that Chromebook shipments will reach 53.3 million units in 2023, reflecting a 27.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2020 to 2023, and that Chromebooks will account for 20% of total notebook PC shipments in 2023.

The continued strong Chromebook demand will be driven by the "new normal" learning environment, including increased use of distance learning and government subsidy programs, such as the $122.7 billion in K-12 funding in the U.S. government's Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Under the Act, local educational agencies can use the funds to purchase educational technology (including hardware, software, and connectivity) for students. Omdia believes that most of the demand for educational mobile PCs (notebooks PC and tablets) will be taken by Chromebooks because they are inexpensive to buy and support, making them well suited for agencies working with limited budgets.

Leading operation system vendor in educational PC market will drive future PC user behavior

The new normal learning environment characterized by distance learning and government subsidies will accelerate the growth of demand for educational mobile PCs, and the operating systems of today's educational mobile PCs (notebook PCs and tablets) will influence the usage patterns of future PC users.

As the epidemic slows down, Omdia expects that governments will continue to boost their economies through investments in education. For example, with increased use of distance learning, government subsidies will help drive rapidly rising demand for always connected PCs for use in education.

Furthermore, the new normal learning will reshape future PC usage patterns. If operating system vendors don't want to lose market share in the future PC market, we expect that some OS vendors will be actively involved in the educational PC market competition, such as by changing their current OS license policies and through their product planning strategies.

Figure 1: Preliminary result – Global Chromebook shipments by Vendors

Figure 2: Global notebook PC / Chromebook shipments and YoY change (2019 – 2023)

Learn more: Omdia's Mobile PC Market Tracker analyzes global mobile PC markets and assesses the top 19 brands. A subscription to the tracker provides access to historical and forecast shipment data by size, resolution, display technology, and region. The tracker is updated quarterly.