Computer suppliers Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) and Acer Inc (宏碁) are deepening their collaboration with Google Inc, with plans to start shipping new Chrome-based computers and devices this quarter.
The two Taiwanese firms are some of the global PC brands that have been working with the US search engine giant to design lightweight laptops running on the Chrome operating system since 2011, as Google steps up its challenge to Microsoft Corp in the market for low-priced computers.
At a Google Chrome launch event in San Francisco on Tuesday, Asustek and Google unveiled the latest Chrome OS device products, including the all-metal convertible 10-inch Chromebook Flip weighing less than 1kg and priced at US$249, and the Chromebook C201 with 13 hours of battery life. The Chromebook Flip will be available late this spring, the companies said.
They also introduced a new Chrome device: the Chromebit — an HDMI stick equipped with a full operating system that can turn a television or any type of display into a computer.
Unlike most computers, Chromebooks do not have a hard drive and function more like terminals dependent on an Internet connection to get most work done.
Despite those limitations, Chromebooks have been steadily gaining in popularity, as cloud computing reduces the need for hard drives.
About 6 million Chromebooks were sold worldwide last year, more than double the 2.7 million units sold in 2013, according to International Data Corp (IDC). By contrast, overall PC market sales slid 2 percent last year, dropping for a third consecutive year.
IDC forecasts that 8 million Chromebooks will be sold this year.
“Asustek will see significant shipments of Chromebooks this year,” Asustek chief executive officer Jerry Shen (沈振來) said last month.
For this year, the company’s PC shipments are forecast to grow 15 percent to 25.87 million units from last year’s 22.5 million due to new product launches, Shen said.
Acer yesterday also launched its new all-in-one Chrome desktop, which will be available in the North American and Asia-Pacific markets this quarter.
The company launched its first Chromebook laptop in 2011, followed by its desktop Chromebox in August last year and the all-in-one Chromebase PC with touch display yesterday.
Acer is the world’s leading Chromebook brand with a more than 36 percent share of the market last year, market researcher Gartner Inc said.
“We now have Chrome OS devices for notebooks, desktops and all-in-one desktops,” Acer said in a statement.
Last month, chief executive officer Jason Chen (陳俊聖) said he was upbeat about the firm’s Chromebook business this year.
Chen said the company’s Chromebook shipments would likely increase by a double-digit percentage this year from last year, supported by robust education and increasing enterprise replacement demand.
On Tuesday, Google also unveiled two US$149 Chromebooks, one by China’s Haier Electronics Group Co (海爾集團) and the other from Hisense Electric Co (海信).
Google said in a blog post on its Web site that buyers could start ordering Hisense’s Chromebook at Walmart.com and Haier’s version at Amazon.com on Tuesday.
Their arrival coincides with Microsoft’s rollout of a lower-priced Surface tablet in an effort to reach students and budget-conscious families. Pre-orders for that device also began on Tuesday.
Major PC brands will be more aggressive in marketing Chromebooks this year, given a weaker PC industry outlook, UBS Securities Pte said.
“The demand for Chromebooks has been strong in the US education market, which will attract more original equipment manufacturers to introduce Chromebooks, intensifying the competition in the Chromebook market,” UBS analyst Arthur Hsieh (謝宗文) said in a research note on Thursday last week.
However, as the prices for tablets and smartphones have been declining, it has forced PC makers to lower their prices, and IDC said the success of the Chromebook line is intensifying PC pricing pressure.
“It has been good news for consumers, but not so good for vendors,” IDC analyst Jay Chou said.
Additional reporting by AP
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