Top 10 Best-Selling Notebook Brands Of 2014

A Long Year For Notebooks

2014 marked a tough year for several notebook brand manufacturers, as vendors like Samsung, Lenovo and ASUS saw a net loss of market share over the year.

Notebooks, the lightweight personal computers featuring nonbulky display screens, drive a market that includes several big-name vendors, such as Hewlett-Packard. According to NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based market research firm, which provides data from leading technology distributors, the average notebook price fell in 2014 from $748.23 in 2013 to $679.36 in 2014.

Following are the top 10 best-selling notebook brands in 2014, according to NPD Group. The NPD Group's DistributorTrack sales database comprises primarily U.S. Global Technology Distribution Council members.

10. MSI Computer

MSI Computer, an Industry, Calif.-based consumer electronics company, ranked No. 10 on NPD's best-selling notebook brand list.

MSI Computer did not experience any significant change from the previous year, taking 0.3 percent of the notebook market share in both 2013 and 2014. The company expanded its mobile game-focused notebook portfolio in 2014, releasing the Nvidia GeForce-powered, Intel graphic-equipped GS60 Ghost Pro 3K, as well as the GS70 Stealth Pro Gaming notebooks, both designed for mobile gamers.

9. Toshiba

Toshiba, a Tokyo-based electronics company, fell in its brand market share from 2013, pushing it to No. 9 on NPD Group's top best-selling notebook brand list.

Toshiba took 2.4 percent market share for its notebooks in 2014, while in 2013 the company held 2.6 percent of the notebook market share. Over the past year, the company expanded on its already broad portfolio, which includes its C Series Satellite notebooks and Kirabooks, to release the Satellite P50, a 15.6-inch, ultra-HD notebook powered by an Intel Core processor.

8. Panasonic

Panasonic placed No. 8 on NPD Group's top-selling notebook brand ranking, losing market share in 2014 despite its release of a new product during the year.

The Osaka, Japan-based company held 2.4 percent market share in 2014, down from its 3.4 percent share in 2013. In 2014, Panasonic released its 14-inch, semirugged Toughbook 54, the company's thinnest notebook. Powered by the Windows 8.1 Pro operating system, the notebook features 4G LTE mobile broadband with satellite GPS and a second optional battery.

7. Dell

Dell saw mild success in 2014, as its market share jumped from 1.7 percent in 2013 to 3.5 in 2014, pushing the American company to No. 7 on NPD Group's best-selling notebook brand list.

The Round Rock, Texas-based company's success stemmed in part from its launch of the Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme notebook and Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme convertible notebook in 2014, targeted for clients in the rugged space. The Rugged Extreme lineup was aimed to endure rough conditions through robust manufacturing materials.

6. Apple

Apple saw slight growth in 2014, putting it at No. 6 on NPD's top best-selling notebook brands list. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company took 7.5 percent share in the notebook market in 2014, up from its 7.3 percent share in 2013.

The company boosted its MacBook Pro series over the year, refreshing the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display with faster processors and a new, lower cost. Apple's products also stood out in leading sales, as the MacBook Pro Core i5 ranked No. 6 on NPD's best-selling notebook models ranking, while its MacBook Air Core i5 ranked No. 10.

5. ASUS

ASUS ranked No. 5 on NPD's list of best-selling notebook brands in 2014, taking 7.7 percent of the notebook market share. However, the Taipei, Taiwan-based company's share was lower than the previous year's 8.7 percent.

ASUS released the Zenbook UX301 in 2014, a 13.3-inch notebook with Gorilla glass, powered by the Windows 8.1 Pro operating system and an Intel Core processor. But the company's popular model was the Transformer Book T100TA, which was No. 8 on NPD Group's best-selling notebook models ranking.

4. Samsung

Samsung saw a significant drop in its market share in 2014, down from 17 percent of notebook market share in 2013 to 12.5 percent in 2014.

Despite the company's struggles in 2014 for notebook sales, the South Korean-based company placed No. 4 on NPD's list of best-selling notebook brands. Its notebook models also made NPD Group's best-selling model list, with its XE303C12-A01US Exynos5 the top-selling model, and its XE503C12-K01US Exynos5 coming in No. 9 on the list.

3. Acer

Acer had a successful year in 2014, with its notebook market share shooting up from 7 percent in 2013 to 15.8 percent in 2014. The growth in notebook sales placed the Taiwanese company No. 3 on NPD Group's best-selling notebook brands list of 2014, and pushing it above Samsung, ASUS and Apple.

Acer's C720 models took second, third and fourth place on NPD's best-selling models list, with its Acer C720-2844 CelDC in second, its Acer C720-2103 CelDC in third, and its Acer C720P-2625 CelDC in fourth. The company also expanded its Chromebook series in 2014 with the release of the Acer Chromebook 13 in 2014.

2. Lenovo

Lenovo took No. 2 on NPD Group's top-selling notebook brands list, taking 21.9 percent of the notebook market share in 2014. However, the company's share was down from the previous year's share in the notebook market of 24.9 percent.

Lenovo in 2014 released the Yoga 3 Pro notebook, a 2.62-pound, 13-inch device, but its real success in the past year came through its sales of its ThinkPad Edge E545 A6, which ranked No. 7 on NPD Group's best-selling notebook brands in 2014.

1. Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard topped NPD Group's list of best-selling notebook brands in 2014, seeing little change in its market share from the previous year. The company took 25 percent of the notebook market share in 2014.

In past years, the company has stood out with its EliteBook and ProBook series, but in 2014 HP's dual-mode, 11.6-inch Chromebook CelDC drove its success, ranking No. 5 on NPD's best-selling notebook models list.