A new report from Strategy Analytics claims that hardware makers sold 68.2 million notebook PCs in the first quarter, a year-over-year gain of 81 percent. Chromebooks saw the biggest growth and are now number two behind Windows-based PCs and well ahead of the Mac.

“Vendors managed to deliver notebooks despite the ongoing components shortage and big vendors managed to fulfill large orders before their original delivery date,” Strategy Analytics director Eric Smith said of the quarter. “The emerging hybrid work pattern, as well as the continuing need for learn-from-home devices, added to consumer upgrade sales, making Q1 2021 the strongest first quarter after many years. The favorable comparison to the dire situation last year also helped with the strong growth figures.”

Lenovo was the number one maker of notebook computers and sold 16.3 million units, up 84 percent from the 8.9 million it sold in the year-ago (and mostly pre-COVID) quarter. HP was number two with 15.4 million units and 91 percent growth, and Dell came in third with 10 million units sold and 37 percent growth. Apple and Acer rounded out the top five with 5.7 million and 4.9 million units sold, respectively.

Sales of Windows-based notebook PCs rose 66 percent in the quarter to 49.8 million units, the firm claims. But Chromebook sales surged 174 percent to 12.1 million units sold, more than doubling the 5.7 million Macs that Apple sold. “Other” notebook PCs account for just 0.6 million units sold. So Windows accounts for 73 percent of all notebook PCs sold in the first quarter, compared to 17.7 percent for Chrome OS and 8.4 percent for macOS.