Chromebooks are siphoning market share from Windows PCs

Shipments of PCs with Google's Chrome OS are growing at the expense of Windows laptops and desktops, as the PC market suffers through its biggest slump since 2008.

Especially popular are Chromebooks, which are basic Chrome OS laptops for Web computing. Low-price Chromebooks are attractive to students, educational institutions and budget buyers.

Worldwide Chrome PC shipments in 2015 are expected to surpass those in 2014, according to IDC. Chrome PCs accounted for 2.8 percent of all PCs shipped worldwide through the first three quarters in 2015. For all of 2014, Chrome PCs accounted for 1.9 percent of all PCs shipped.

Chrome PC shipments in 2015 will outpace those in 2014, and the growth trend will continue in 2016, said Jay Chou, research manager at IDC.

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