Macintosh got outsold by Chromebooks last quarter, in the USA. And Mac sales grew by a healthy amount, so this is huge news.

But it is just a blip, or are we seeing a trend towards cloud-based, inexpensive Linux devices? In IT Blogwatch, bloggers can't wait for next quarter's numbers. Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment.





What’s the craic? Tom Warren rabbits on—Chromebooks outsold Macs:

While IDC doesn't typically break out...sales, IDC analyst Linn Huang confirmed the milestone. ... "Chrome OS [shipments] overtook Mac OS in the US...for the first time in 1Q16."

…

Dell, HP, and Lenovo sold nearly 2 million Chromebooks in Q1. [This] will undoubtedly unnerve Microsoft. ... Chromebooks are well positioned to challenge Microsoft's dominance of the low-cost laptop market.





Is 2 million a lot? Stephanie Condon concludes Chromebooks surpass Macs:

Chromebooks made up more than [half] of new devices in schools...Rajen Sheth, a product manager of Google Enterprise, [said] at Google I/O. ... Meanwhile, [Chrome OS] could gain even wider appeal now that Android apps are being added.

…

The first quarter of 2016 was rough for the PC market. [But] Mac shipments actually rose 5.6 percent. ... Chromebooks [have a] double-digit market share.





So what's going on here? Ryan Daws opines Prepare for the Chromebook takeover:

Most people don't need the power offered by the latest...devices, and the lower cost and increased battery...make an obvious choice.

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Another report from IDC...shows a 10 percent decline in tablet shipments. ... We should all be making preparations for a Chromebook takeover.





I don't usually link to his publication, but when I do... Darren Orf gets off on it—Google Just Gave You a Million New Reasons to Buy a Chromebook:

Google just announced that Chrome OS will open up to Android app developers this June. ... That’s huge, great, awesome news for lovers of Chromebooks. ... From the looks of it, the positives far outweigh the negatives.





Hey, developers! Get on board. Google's Dylan Reid and Elijah Taylor want you to Bring Your Android App to Chromebooks:

[It] means users will be able to install the apps they know and love. [And] you can expand your app’s reach to a new hardware platform.

…

Users can multi-task with multiple Android apps in moveable windows. ... Performance of demanding apps...is excellent.





OK, but let's caution that a big part of the growth was in the K-12 market. Shreyas Gandhe thinks about it:

Key to the Chromebook's success...would be their adoption by businesses, which...last year was non-existent. [But] the availability of Android apps...could change the way...enterprises perceive Chromebooks.