It appears Google has sold more Chromebooks than Apple has sold MacBooks in 2020. According to a report by Geekwire, quoting IDC, 2020 was the first full year in which Chrome OS took second place beating Apple’s MacOS. ChromeOS is the cloud-based operating system that powers Google’s laptops.
However, it may be Microsoft who needs to worry more than Apple. According to the IDC report, while Microsoft Windows-powered PCs/laptops continue to hold majority market share, both Apple computers and Google ChromeBooks gained on its expense. While IDC does not break the numbers operating system-wise, GeekWire did the number crunching which reportedly has been confirmed by the research firm’s analyst Mike ShireI. For record, IDC’s numbers include desktops, laptops, and workstations
While ChromeBooks have reportedly beaten Apple MacBooks earlier too, 2020 was the first full year that they held on to this. What seems to have worked in ChromeBook’s favour is the pricing of the low-cost laptop. “Until the pandemic, Chrome OS’ success was largely limited to U.S. schools. Demand in 2020 appears to have expanded beyond that small but critical part of the U.S. PC market,” as says the Geekwire report.
Here is the year-over-year breakdown as it per the report:
Microsoft Windows: Down 4.9 points, from 85.4% in 2019 to 80.5% in 2020
Google ChromeOS: Up 4.4 points, from 6.4% in 2019 to 10.8% in 2020
Apple macOS: Up 0.8 points, from 6.7% in 2019 to 7.5% in 2020
As per the report, in Q1 2020, Apple’s MacOS and Google’s Chrome OS held 5.8%, and 5.3% market share and then in Q2, the macOS market share stood at 7.6%, while the Chrome OS jumped to 10.0%. In Q3, macOS grew to 8.4% for Q3 and then fell back to 7.7% for Q4. As for the Chrome OS, the share stood at 11.5% for Q3 and then 14.4% share for Q4.
When it comes to Microsoft Windows, the share stood at 87.5% in Q1, 81.7% in Q2, 78.9% in Q3 and 76.7% in Q4, showing a clear drop in market share in every quarter of 2020.
“Three quarters in a row of Chrome OS above macOS makes a trend. It’s safe to say that Chromebooks from PC makers like Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo now outsell Apple’s range of desktop Macs and laptop MacBooks,” added the report.