The Power of Chromebooks

Chromebooks aren't taking over the world but they are taking away sales from a rapidly shrinking Windows-based PC market, according to a market researcher.

An estimated 2.1 million Chromebooks shipped in 2013 with nearly 89 percent of total shipments reaching North America, ABI Research said.

And Chromebooks will slowly but steadily make gains in the coming years. As Chromebook shipments expand globally, ABI Research expects about 11 million to ship in 2019.

"Chromebooks have surprised us...It is not just education, it is small business," Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman said last month at a technology conference. HP sells the Chromebook 11 and Chromebook 14.

ABI Research said the average selling price for a Chromebook is $338. "This truly budget-driven device is a disruptive force to the portable PC market," says ABI analyst Stephanie Van Vactor in a statement.

That disruption is happening with Windows 8.1 PCs.

"The broader portable PC market continues to struggle, said ABI "The ultraportable segment, which is powered by the Windows 8 operating system...saw minimal growth during 4Q 2013 even with the holiday season."