Chromebooks Notched 2.1 Million Shipments Last Year, Majority Landed in North America

[[Coi] Mr.CLuBBeR]

Nearly 9 out of 10 Chromebooks sold in 2013 ended up in North America

Laptop shoppers in North America are willing to sacrifice features, performance, and overall functionality in exchange for lower priced systems, or so it seems based on data provided by market intelligence firm ABI Research. According to ABI Research, of the estimated 2.1 million Chromebooks shipped in 2013, nearly 89 percent reached North America. Looking ahead, the intelligence firm predicts Chromebook shipments will grow to 11 million units in 2019.
"ABI Research tracked Chromebooks across six regions and found the average selling price (ASP) to be $338," says research analyst Stephanie Van Vactor. "This truly budget-driven device is a disruptive force to the portable PC market."
The average selling price is actually a little higher than we expected, and while ABI Research remains optimistic about the growth of Chromebooks, we can't help but think pricing might have to come down in order to compete with increasingly affordable and more fully featured Windows laptops.
According to ABI, customers are still undecided but certainly "intrigued" by Chromebooks. It's hard not to be when you can pick up a Chromebook for $199 (Acer C720 with Intel Celeron 2955U processor, 2GB of DDR3L RAM, 16GB SSD, and 11.6-inch display). However, once you approach $338 (the average selling priced, based on ABI's research), it becomes a much tougher sell over a similarly priced Windows laptop.
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