According to global technology analysts IDC, Chromebooks outsold Macs in the U.S. in the first quarter of the year. The figure, assessing overall shipments, makes Chrome OS the second-biggest desktop operating system in the U.S., trailing only Microsoft’s Windows.
At a time when PC shipments are struggling, the success of Chrome OS is likely to unsettle Microsoft. Chromebooks have gained a particularly large foothold in education. U.S. schools buy more Chromebooks than all the other devices combined due to their low entry cost, cloud-based nature and simple device management.
“We launched Chromebooks for people who wanted a fast, simple and secure computing experience,” said Google. “Chromebooks just work — open the lid, and within seconds, you’re on your favorite sites and apps, getting stuff done. Virus protection and automatic updates are built-in, so you don’t have to manage your computer. And that’s worked great for our users.”
Google is now looking for ways to grow the presence of Chromebooks in different markets. At its I/O developers conference this week, the company announced it is addressing some of the most common concerns from people considering a Chrome OS device. The company is going to bring Android’s Play Store to Chrome OS, opening the door to millions of new high-quality offline apps.
“We’ve been encouraged by this growth, but our users have often told us that they would like to do even more with their Chromebooks — run more apps, use Office files more easily, connect with a variety of apps, and do more when they’re offline,” Google said. “So, we’re bringing Google Play (the most popular app store in the world) to Chromebooks. … This is good for users and great for developers – in addition to phones and tablets, they will be able to easily bring their apps to laptops. And all this is built on top of Chrome OS, so users will continue to have everything they love in their Chromebooks.”
The surprise feature was leaked in April when users discovered popup messages about the Play Store in a Chrome OS development version. Google has now confirmed the Play Store will roll out to all existing Chromebook devices and will be included by default on new ones.
Android apps will run on Chrome OS as seamlessly as if they are in a native Android environment. According to Google, speed and security won’t be compromised when running Play Store apps on Chrome OS. Chrome OS will gain a proper app store, filled with popular products that can be run offline.
Even with the Play Store, Google may find it difficult to convince consumers and businesses to adopt Chromebooks though. Android apps often fail to scale well to fit the screens of larger devices, a key issue that has prevented the widespread rise of Android tablets. On laptops, the problem could be even worse, preventing users from taking full advantage of the millions of apps available.
Google hasn’t said when the Play Store will roll out, instead telling users to expect information “over the next few months.” Developers can access the store today on select Chromebook devices. Google described the feature as a “big leap forward” but “just the beginning” of the next phase of Chrome OS, hinting at more features to reinforce the platform’s growing market share.
