Google’s Chromebooks are now the fastest growing PC market segment

It would appear Google’s increased marketing efforts that sought to bolster Chromebooks sales have paid off. According to data from market research firm NPD Group, the low-cost computers have captured between 20% and 25% of the sub-$300 laptop market in U.S. in the past eight months. The firm noted that Chromebooks are now the fastest growing segment of the PC market based on price, Bloomberg reported. NPD analyst Stephen Baker explained that Google will likely continue to benefit from the growth of the sub-$300 PC market, which is expected to increase more than 10% in 2013. By comparison, the PC industry as a whole is forecasted to see negative growth of -7.8% this year. Google’s Chrome OS has given PC makers a glimmer of hope, and has helped it lure some of Microsoft’s key vendor partners like Lenovo and HP, both of which have now begun to sell Chromebooks.