Google Inc. (GOOGL -1.97%) (GOOG -1.96%) is putting more Chromebooks in the hands of workers and students, and taking a chunk of Apple (AAPL 0.52%) and Microsoft (MSFT -2.45%) sales in the process. Fool contributor Tim Beyers explains the details in the following video.
According to new data from NPD (via The New York Times), Chromebooks account for about 25% of low-cost laptops sold in the United States. Sound crazy? Check Amazon.com. Three of the top 10 most popular laptops priced under $500 are Chromebooks from Acer and Samsung.
For Apple, which doesn't have a sub-$500 system for sale, the news suggests that it's getting harder to find computer buyers. Mac unit sales are up 12% so far in fiscal 2014 after falling 10% the year prior.
For Microsoft, it must be troubling to see everyday buyers cuddling up to cloud computing in this way. To Microsoft's credit, they are diversifying but still depend on Windows for a large part of its sales and operating income.
Why? Google has put an Chromebooks into 10,000 schools across the U.S. That's a staggering number, and could help train kids that computing is supposed to be an entirely online experience where software is largely invisible -- a paradigm shift that would heavily favor the search king's business.
Now it's your turn to weigh in. Have you tried a Chromebook? Do you see the cloud model replacing the typical install-and-manage PC model? Please watch the video to get the full story and then leave a comment to let us know your take, including whether you would buy, sell, or short Google stock at current prices.
