If I were HP, Acer, Asus or Toshiba, I'd release one with enough storage and ram, and easy boot to Ubuntu/Mint.
I think that Google has been neglecting the non-intensive tasks that people still perform on their computers locally, not through a webbrowser. Not supporting Crysis, SolidWorks, Microsoft Office, or Eclipse... that is all fine, regular users don't really need that sort of stuff. Not supporting something with the functionality of VLC or a good image browser seems like a big oversight. Those sorts of tasks could be done well with ChromeOS, with their programming model and in that form-factor, but from what I have seen that stuff just isn't ready.
Whether or not it fits with the motivation of the OS, it is what the OS needs if it wants to be something I can recommend to anybody. They are making an OS for people that, as far as I can tell, do not exist: technically inclined and willing users who have very restricted requirements.
I know, I know, "most people do nothing but Facebook". That is the standard justification of ChromeOS, I've heard that all before... In my experience however those people still perform some (really quite minimal) non-intensive local tasks that ChromeOS falls flat on. I'll sooner tell those people to get an iPad than a Chromebook.
And to be clear, ChromeOS does let you browse images locally, so that is already something they have consigned themselves to doing. ChromeOS isn't saying "this isn't something that you can't or shouldn't do". The problem is that they do it poorly; the UI is shoddy.
Especially with the lousy lousy internet connection that I have.
I haven't seen a Chromebook's handling of locally stored photos, but it's a shame if it can't handle it nicely.
The only thing stopping me from getting a Chromebook now is the lack of functionality without an internet connection (I'd install a Linux, but that feels like a weird solution).
The moment you start to market these things as real computers at a low price point, somebody's grandmother buys one and starts calling support because they can't run Office (or some other arbitrary Windows software on it). Word gets out, it gets distorted until everyone thinks that the hardware is useless/broken/worthless and you end up with a repeat of MSFT's Surface/Windows RT debacle.
Google has very carefully positioned this platform in the market. They've been very clear that a Chromebook is not just another laptop & buyers should not expect them to be one. The few additional sales they'd get from Linux geeks are not remotely worth the brand dilution that would occur from selling them as anything else.
Why are they even providing a support line? I'm not sure why a laptop should qualify for support when a tablet doesn't.
When you buy a new car there isn't a Hyundai Support Line to call.