Google’s Chromebook v Mac lead is fading fast
“Chrome OS overtook Mac OS in the US in terms of shipments for the first time in 1Q16,” said an IDC analyst this week, adding, “Chromebooks are still largely a US K-12 story.”
Now, I don’t set much store to the statistics here, I don’t believe them, but even if these claims were true and not ‘accidentally’ announced in the same weeks as Google I/O, I don’t think these low-cost connected devices are going to hold leadership long. That’s because — particularly in the US education market — Apple isn’t going to let them.
I expect Google’s slight advantage to be gone within a year.
So what’s Apple gonna do?
Here’s what I’m expecting in six pictures: You can draw your own conclusions from what you see.
Apple has experience putting pieces together,Apple has experience putting pieces together,- Expect more Continuity and more collaboration between iOS and OS X.Expect more Continuity and more collaboration between iOS and OS X.
- Continuity shows the future. And the future is one in which the iOS and OS X get along just fine -- not exactly the same, but pretty good together.Continuity shows the future. And the future is one in which the iOS and OS X get along just fine -- not exactly the same, but pretty good together.
- Coming <a href="http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2016/05/the-green-light-for-production-of-apples-a10-processor-from-tsmc-draws-close.html">later this year</a> the A10 processor will take up residence across Apple's ecosystem. ARM for Macs? Or just for one Mac, we could call it MacChrome.Coming <a href="http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2016/05/the-green-light-for-production-of-apples-a10-processor-from-tsmc-draws-close.html">later this year</a> the A10 processor will take up residence across Apple's ecosystem. ARM for Macs? Or just for one Mac, we could call it MacChrome.
Number of times I have ever heard a child ask for a Chromebook = 0
Number of times I have ever heard a child ask for an Apple product = 1,000,000,000,000,000
Schools might be buying Chromebooks, and Google may even dominate the education sector for a while. But what about when the kids get home from school?
I am sceptical about these statistics.
I think sceptical is overenthusiastic. I just don’t believe them!
From the start, I always viewed Chromebooks as the new Netbooks… And we all know what happened to that cheap, flash-in-the-pan.
In fact, Netbooks were more useful than Chromebooks, since they ran an operating system that was not highly dependant on being connected to the Internet.
But both Netbooks and Chromebooks were/are cheap, cheaply made, and limited in usage (for example, you won’t see anyone editing their 4K videos, or creating multi-track music on a Chromebook).
There will never be Chromebooks sold successfully with similar qualities and in a similar price range to (for example) a MacBook Air. in that price range and quality level, no one would want a computer so reliant on internet connectivity, and with very few third-party applications available.
The selling point for Chromebooks is that they are cheap, but as with Netbooks, that will eventually be its downfall.