Chromebooks propelled PC market to double-digit surge in Q1 - Canalys

The global market showed impressive figures for the fourth successive quarter

Chromebook sales in the education sector have led the charge for the PC market during the first quarter of 2021.

According to research from Canalys, the global PC market saw a year on year rise of 53.1 per cent with 122.1 million units shipped.

Chromebooks posted a 274.6 per cent spike in Q1, shipping 12 million units.

The market analyst said while the education sector accounted for the majority of shipments, their popularity with consumers and traditional commercial customers reached new heights over the course of the last year.

Tablets closely followed as one of the key growth drivers, logging an increase in sales of 51.8 per cent and shipment volumes of 39.7 million units.

Chromebook vendors reap rewards

The top five Chromebook vendors all experienced healthy growth in the first quarter.

"HP and Lenovo dominate the Chromebook market, but the boom has been a case of a rising tide lifting all boats, allowing vendors such as Acer and Samsung to carve out substantial shares within the PC market by catering specifically to Chromebook demand," said Canalys research analyst, Brian Lynch.

HP topped the market yet again, with sales soaring 633.7 per cent, propelling it past the four million unit mark.

Lenovo took second place with 3.1 million units shipped, up 308.8 per cent, having ramped up production to help ease order backlogs from 2020.

Acer, Samsung and Dell made up the rest of the top five, all shipping over 1 million units.

"Google is now in a strong position to work with its OEM partners and the channel to cement a rosy future for Chromebooks," Lynch added.

"A substantial messaging and evangelisation push coupled with the targeting of growth trends, such as flexible work arrangements and budget-conscious SMBs, will be vital to ensure the longevity of Chromebooks' success."

Global PC shipments

Lenovo maintained its lead in the total PC market, which includes desktops, notebooks and tablets, shipping 24 million units and posting a surge of 66.5 per cent.

Apple came second with 22.1 million shipments of Macs and iPads.

HP secured third place with 19.3 million units, up 64.2 per cent, leaving Dell and Samsung to make up the rest of the top five.