Dixons claims Chromebooks will account for 10 per cent of computing sales in 2012

High-street retailer Dixons has said it expects devices running on Google's Chrome operating system to account for 10 per cent of its computer sales in 2012 as consumers look for an alternative to Windows and Apple devices.

The bullish claim was made by the firm's computing category director Mark Slater in an interview with The Telegraph, and would be a notable achievement for Google as the fledging operating system has yet to make much impact in the market.

"We see computing evolving as we go into next year with the emergence of Chrome as an operating system and the ease of use of cloud storage making it a credible alternative to the established world of Microsoft and Apple," he said.

"I believe that Chrome could be circa 10 per cent of our computing business this time next year with the right mix of hardware partners and a much greater consumer push with regards to the benefits."

Slater said the success of the Android smartphone platform will give Google the confidence to push its desktop offering throughout 2012.

"We've seen the rapid growth and significant share which Android has as an operating system in the smartphone and tablet space. As such it's not inconceivable for Google to push Chrome much harder before the arrival of Windows 8," he added.

A spokeswoman for Dixons confirmed the claims, explaining the computing category includes laptops, tablets, netbooks and desktops.

However, V3 is inclined to take Dixons' claims with a pinch of salt.

The high street group also claimed it expected to sell out of the Kindle 4 on its first day but investigations carried out by V3 discovered the firm's store on Oxford Street had barely sold a single unit.

Google announced this week that devices running its operating system in the US will be part of the annual Black Friday Thanksgiving sales, and V3 has been moderately impressed with the laptops it has already seen, awarding the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook three stars.