14 DAY TRIAL // Windows is still powering more than 90 percent of the PCs across the world, according to data provided by NetMarketShare, but PC makers are always looking at alternatives, including Chrome OS and Android.
And Lenovo makes no exception, with the company now saying that it plans to launch a Chrome OS version of the Lenovo Yoga Book next year, as it still believes there’s life beyond Windows.
Jeff Meredith, vice president and general manager of Lenovo’s Android and Chrome Computing Business Group, explains in an interview that Chrome OS is not losing ground in the race against other desktop platforms, and what’s more, recent announcements, such as the integration of the Google Play Store in the operating system, make it an even better choice for PCs.
“Over time, we probably see the Android and Chrome versions melding together, especially based on the fact that we’ve now seen Chrome roll out the Google Play store capability into Chrome. We’ll probably maintain the three distinctive products throughout this year at least,” he was quoted as saying by LaptopMag.
The rise of Chrome OS
Chromebooks are becoming increasingly popular and recent statistics provided by analyst firms show that they are likely to continue their growth in 2017, despite the overall decline in PC sales.
For example, IDC recently said that the PC market dropped 3.9 percent year over year, but explained that Chromebooks actually improved sales, managing even to overtake Apple in the third quarter of 2016.
Meredith believes that by installing Chrome OS on the Yoga Book, the company would be able to increase its sales in the United States, a market where this particular model is yet to record strong sales.
However, the firm doesn’t expect to see significant sales in the consumer market, but rather in the education sector, as schools and universities generally adopt Chrome OS devices because of their reduced costs as compared to Windows siblings.