Chromebooks

Chromebook shipments expected to drop 30% in 2022, as entire PC market slips

Ben Schoon | Jun 30 2022 - 9:40 am PT

ChromeOS desktop shown on an Acer Chromebook

Chromebooks saw an explosion in 2020 amid the pandemic, but it seems that success is drying up. According to analysts, Chromebook shipments will drop by 30% by the end of 2022.

Gartner reports that PC shipments are expected to shrink by 9.5% this year. That follows 2021, which saw 11% growth for the market globally. The number looks at PC, Mac, and Chromebook shipments in 2022.

While that slip will affect the whole market, PCs are only expected to see a drop around 3%, while Macs won’t lose or gain. Chromebooks, on the other hand, will apparently see a drop of 30% compared to 2021 (via TechCrunch).

Chromebooks are expected to take the biggest hit with Gartner predicting that they will be down a whopping 30 percent this year compared to 3 percent for PCs with Macs expected to be flat.

Chromebooks have already been on a slow pace since 2020’s explosion.

In January 2021 it was reported that, in Q4 2020, Chromebook demand had hit an all-time high with 11 million units shipped in a single quarter, with over 30 million shipped that year. All in all, it represented nearly 300% year-over-year growth. Things quickly took a turn, though, with a report in late 2021 revealing a 37% slip in shipments year-over-year in Q3 2021.

Meanwhile, outside of the PC market, this report expects the tablet market to dip by 9% this year, with smartphones dropping around 7%. The drops are largely attributed to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, soaring inflation, and the continued difficulties in the supply chain.