OStatic Blog Chromebooks are Spreading Out in the Educational Market

In recent months, several prominent analysts have taken aim at media reports that have allegedly miscast how well Chromebooks--portable computers based on Google's Chrome OS platform--are doing in sales terms. "There has been a ton of misreporting as many lazy reporters and bloggers have characterized this as all sales, which it wasn't, or even consumer sales, which it most assuredly was not," Stephen Baker of the NPD Group, has told Computerworld, for example.Chromebooks are actually a fast growing part of the portable computer market, though, and Chrome OS has become an entrenched operating system. Particularly in schools, these systems are making a difference, and now Asus and Acer are out with new models focused on the educational market.As USA Today has noted: "For the first time, Chromebook sales surpassed 51% in the K-12 market nationwide in the third quarter, according to a recent report by market researcher Futuresource Consulting. The surge reflects a fundamental shift in how American schools are buying tech in bulk and assessing students online, placing an emphasis on low-cost, easy-to-manage machines." Acer is now out with its Chromebook Spin 11 and Asus has delivered its Chromebook Flip C213. These Chromebooks are squarely focused on the educational market. According to The Verge:"The precise details of these Chromebooks aren't really the point for Google. Instead, the point is the overall story it's trying to tell about Chrome OS in the classroom. Android apps are going to be available on these and all future Chromebooks - and Google says that it has improved the software for managing them. So, for example, a teacher will be able to deploy Android apps for students to use ahead of time so they don't have to wait for them to download when they log in to their computers." As we've reported before, Chromebooks really are doing especially well in schools. Their low prices are attractive to many school systems. As reported by Mashable, noted Silicon Valley analyst Tim Bajarin said: "There are no governments or IT departments running out to buy these products - they would be underwhelmed. Instead, this growth is being driven by education." Related ActivitiesComments (0)Post a CommentAsk a QuestionRelated Blog PostsMore Chromebooks That Run Android Apps Heading Down the Pike (post comment)Google Makes Changes to the Chrome App Ecosystem (post comment)Fuchsia: Is a New Operating System Coming from Google? (post comment)