It should come as a surprise to no-one that the volume of PCs in schools is surging – but what may be unexpected is that it is Google’s Chromebooks that continue to lead the charge.
Having overtaken iPad shipments in Q3’14 (Apple Gives Way to Google in the Classroom), Google’s cloud-based notebook continued its success through Q4, says IDC. In total, about 13.2 million desktops, laptops, tablets and hybrid devices were shipped to US schools last year: a 33% YoY rise, with a value of about $7 billion.
Apple, with its premium products, took the greatest revenue share – almost half of the market. Meanwhile, Microsoft dominated on volume, with around a 38% share (4.9 million devices, compared to Apple’s 4.2 million (32% share)).
Chromebooks, however, are gaining quickly. 3.9 million were shipped in 2014, compared to none at all in 2012, and representing a gain of more than 310% YoY. iPad sales for education, by contrast, fell from 2.9 million devices to 2.7 million. “[F]rom the growth perspective, nobody can beat Chromebook[s]”, said IDC’s Rajani Singh.
In the first half of 2015, roughly 2.4 million Chromebooks were shipped to schools in the USA, compared to 2.2 million Windows-based devices.
