Hardware

Google: Chromebooks Take Top Spot in K–12 Device Market

Sales of the low-cost notebook running its Chrome OS dominate among notebooks and tablets, according to the search giant.

D. Frank Smith

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Frank is a social media journalist for the CDW family of technology magazine websites.

An upcoming report from IT industry analyst IDC pegs Chromebooks as the best-selling device in the market for K–12 tablets and notebooks this year, Google announced Monday in a blog post.

"Schools tell us that Chromebooks fill three big needs: they’re easy for students and teachers to use, they’re easy to share, and they’re easy to manage," writes Cyrus Mistry, the lead product manager of Chromebooks for Education.

The search engine giant has made bold strides to secure the Chromebook's position in the world of K–12 technology. Hundreds of school districts across the country have adopted the low-cost notebook for one-to-one device initiatives. According to a July survey by Gartner, 85 percent of Chromebooks sold are used in education.

Chromebooks appeal to K–12 districts for a variety of reasons, including how quickly they can be set up, which simplifies the challenge of having a limited IT staff managing multiple devices. The fall 2014 issue of EdTech: Focus on K–12 features an article on the lessons that school leaders have learned from their Chromebook rollouts.

A core component of the Chrome OS, which powers Chromebooks, is Google's suite of apps. In October, Google announced that more than 40 million teachers, students and administrators around the world now use Google Apps for Education, the company's curated lineup of education-focused products.

Google released Classroom to its Apps for Education users in August. The cloud-based organizer helps to streamline the flow of assignments between teachers and students, using features from other native Google apps such as Gmail and Sheets.

The company also has been making headway in the higher education side of the business through marketing efforts like the Chromebook lending library, which allows college students to rent a Chromebook from on-campus kiosks for a few days, free of charge.

Interested in learning more about Chromebooks? CDW•G can help guide you through solutions and support your next one-to-one rollout.

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