I honestly think the Chromebook is one of the best products out there, even though I'd never buy one for myself. It's the first web-only device that isn't "ahead of its time" - it just works for everything you need.

Its major downfall is performance on Flash-heavy sites (or even JS-heavy sites, such as The Verge), but honestly I don't think that's the device's fault as much as it's the desktop web's. It took developers a while to learn to optimize their sites for less-powerful tablets and phones, and hopefully they'll bring some of those lessons to the desktop for lower-powered devices like this.

Plus, I think a lot of people just don't understand that the device has more than just web access. Chrome apps give it potential for powerful offline capabilities. This article has a good overview: http://www.zdnet.com/yes-you-can-use-the-new-chromebook-offl...

(the only thing I don't like is that all of the Chromebooks have been a bit ugly. I know that you're dealing with cheap plastic, but I actually thought my slate CR-48 looked nicer than the fat Samsung & Acer Chromebooks!)