Friday, January 3, 2014

Has Google's Chromebook Officially Failed?

It's been nearly two years since Google  (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) launched its Chromebooks, which were initially priced around $500. Even after prices came down to as low as $200, Chromebooks have remained a niche market segment lacking a lot of data. Net Market Share just recently pegged Chromebook usage at just 0.02%, which is basically a rounding error.

Instead, consumers in the $200 to $500 price range have been shifting spending toward tablets. Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) iPad starts at $500, Amazon.com's (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) Kindle Fire sells for $200, and even Google's own Nexus 7 is priced at $200. That doesn't leave much room for Chromebooks, which can be grouped into the dying netbook category.

In the video below, Fool contributor Evan Niu, CFA, discusses why the Chromebook may be considered a failure.

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