Simplicity does not mean the absence of features. ChromeOS is simple because it does not have the capability to include features we take for granted in desktop software. For example, in Google Docs you cannot merge two or more table cells. This is hardly an advanced feature, it's something Wordperfect 5.0 could do 20 years ago. How is this progress?

Some things are certainly not simpler on a Chromebook. For example, printing requires signing in via Google's cloud print service even if it's just to print to your desktop printer (which also means Google can record when and how often you print.)

More seriously, ChromeOS gives Google an unprecedented opportunity to track and record your online behaviour (since you must sign-in to ChromeOS with a Google account to use the operating system). This raises important questions about privacy, but Google gets away with little scrutiny of what they record and track.