Chromebooks: A Bright Spot In The Dark PC Market

Summary: Yes, the PC market is going to hell in a hand-basket -- except for the sub-$300 market where the Linux-based Chromebook is leading the way to growth.

It's no secret that the PC market is awful. With tablets on one side and Windows 8's failure to gain market success on the other, worldwide PC sales have dropped more than 10-percent in the last quarter alone. According to retail sales analysis firm NPD there is one bright spot though: low-priced notebooks with Linux-based, Chrome OS-powered Chromebooks.

In an interview, Stephen Baker, NPD's Vice President of Industry Analysis for Consumer Technology, said, that "In the last eight months Chromebooks have snagged 20 percent to 25 percent of the U.S. market for laptops that cost less than $300." Indeed, by NPD's numbers they are the fastest-growing part of the PC market. Baker added that "Chromebooks have come out of nowhere to claim about 5 percent of the total PC market."