Euh Jeong-seon, left, chief executive of Poin2 Lab, and Lee Jin-u, head of marketing, pose for a photo behind Poin2 Lab Chromebook11. Poin2 Lab is South Korea’s sole manufacturer and seller of Google software-based Chromebooks. [Photo by Kim Ho-young]

The overall sales of notebook computers are on a downward trend across all regions but there is one breed that is gaining more popularity - the Chromebook that runs on the Chrome operating system designed by Google Inc.

According to multiple industry sources, global sales of Chromebook reached 7.6 million units in 2015, up 35 percent from a year ago. The total sales volume is very insignificant when comparing it with the 164.4 million units of overall laptops sold globally last year. However, industry observers note that there is much potential for the sales of Chromebook to grow in the future as the laptop is gradually winning the hearts and minds of consumers in North America and Europe with its low price tag and simple handling method.

Currently, there are only six global manufacturers that have received a license from Google to produce and sell Chromebooks, including Samsung Electronics Co., Acer Inc., and Lenovo Group. Among them is also Poin2 Lab, a small but strong South Korean startup that is managed by only eight employees. The company’s name is a combination of “We point to the future” and “Lab.”

Poin2 Lab is a hardware manufacturer founded in 2014 by Euh Jeong-seon, a 53-year-old former computer developer at Samsung Electronics, and three of his colleagues from his previous workplace. The company has gained much attention for having received a license from Google to officially produce and sell Chromebooks in the country. All eyes were on how the startup managed to work with Google.

Their relations date back to 2010 when Euh and Lee Jin-u, head of marketing at Poin2 Lab, were in charge of manufacturing Chromebooks at Samsung Electronics’ computer division. Back then, Google was in the initial process of manufacturing hardware dedicated to its Chrome operating system to popularize the software, and its first partner to work with in Korea was Samsung Electronics.

Challenges, however, arose when Samsung Electronics began to struggle selling personal computers in the market amid growing popularity of mobile devices. The overall deterioration in sales also dragged down the development of Chromebooks.

In 2014, Euh made a big decision to set up his own company based on the 200 million won ($172,161) severance pay he received from Samsung Electronics. Three of his colleagues including marketing chief Lee also quit Samsung Electronics to join Euh. They were all in the same team at Samsung Electronics that was in charge of the Chromebook development project.

Based on the partnership Euh and his team had built with Google, the U.S. tech giant decided to provide funds to Poin2 Lab in developing a new Chromebook. Poin2 Lab was in charge of the overall process of planning, designing, engineering and producing the Google software-based portable computer. Manufacturing was done at a production facility in Shenzhen, China.

Google also had benefits. The partnership with a small startup Poin2 Lab allowed the company to cut down on the overall production cost and time by about half.

“It took about six months to complete the development of the (Chromebook) product, which is a short period of time that is hard to imagine under the management system of a large company,” Euh said. “We discussed with Google in every stage of the manufacturing process without any friction.”

Based on the months of effort, Euh and his team managed to develop Poin2 Lab Chromebook11, a model with the lowest price tag among other Chromebooks. The 1.15-kilogram laptop has an 11.6 inch display and is equipped with a battery that lasts for 8.5 hours. It is priced at 219,000 won, which is 30 percent cheaper than other Chromebook models with similar specification.

Consumers are taking notice of the low-price but high-quality Poin2 Lab Chromebook11. Poin2 Lab began the sale of the notebook in the United States in November last year, and it has been receiving positive feedback that the product offers good value for money. Poin2 Lab Chromebook11 was also released in the Korean market last month, and all 1,000 units sold out in two weeks. Demand for the Chrome-based laptop is high especially for educational purposes. Poin2 Lab has received large quantity orders from institutions including Cheongna Dalton School in Incheon, Gyeonggi, Byulmuri Christian School in Geumsan, North Cheungcheong Province, and Central Christian Academy in Suwon, Gyeonggi.

By Lee Sun-hee, Cho Hee-young

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]