Windows sees continued growth in education market among low-end devices

FutureSource has released its latest report{.nofollow} on PC shipments in the K-12 education market, and Microsoft continues to show momentum.

Overall, PC shipments grew year-over-year in the second quarter by 4.6 percent, increasing to 6.5 million units. And while Google's Chromebooks continue to dominate in the U.S. market, Microsoft saw its global share of low-cost Windows devices grow by 11 percent.

Microsoft, especially, has been working hard to close the price gap between Windows and Chromebook by promoting partner devices on the Windows platform, priced as low as $189. Globally, Windows share in sub $300 category grew by 11% year-on-year in Q2 2018, with shipments of Windows devices in the category growing 75%.

For the first half of 2018, Windows made up a 62.2 percent share of devices shipped outside of the U.S. That's up from 61.7 percent in the first half of 2017, and it outpaces Chrome OS, which stood at a 9.2 percent share in the first half of 2018. In the U.S., it's a different story, with Chrome OS representing a leading position of 58 percent over Windows' 20.4 percent share.

The increase comes amid an increased focus on the education market by Microsoft. That includes the company's efforts with Windows 10 in S Mode devices, along with several partnerships, features, and more introduced in January. Classroom-focused features in OneNote and Microsoft Teams are also intended to give Windows a leg up over its competitors.