I work in IT and talk to a lot of clients and a lot of people and one question I get is "what about this chromebook thing?". I honestly didn't have an answer for the longest time but I finally was able to get one and start using it and I have the answer everyone wants to hear.... it depends on your needs.
TL/DR (too long, dont want to read) version: If you want general browsing for the web and dont want all the fluff or simply want to keep your grandma from getting viruses, these devices are for you. If you want to game, and perform heavy tasks or editing of some sort this is not for you.
I personally love the Chromebook. It boots up and is ready to go in about 5 seconds, it is linked to my google account, so my history, bookmarks, passwords are all there without any need to really move anything over or transfer data. The only downside is that the one I have (some new ones are a little different) does not allow you to browse a local file explorer to see what you have. Since this is a Chromebook its more of a app based operating system so if you have something installed its kind of right there and there is no need to use file explorer or browse for data.
I find this quite refreshing and nice. To many people this allows a clean interface without a bunch of fluff and it would be pretty hard for a non-tech person to mess something up or break it. With that said before you get this for your grandma or someone else you know you should really understand what this is designed for.
A chromebook is designed for easy-to-use access to the internet and using some Google apps from the app store (depending on if you have a new one or old one). I love the device as I simply want to use it to browse the web, pay bills, go to Facebook and watch Netflix.
This is not a gaming machine by any means. You may be able to get some apps to play around with on a nicer bigger screen than your phone but overall its not meant for gaming. This is why many parents and schools are using these devices. They are easily managed through a Google Cloud App (for organizations not individual people) and there is not really a way for a kid or student to download something they shouldn't or access things they aren't supposed to get to.
I still see these devices as being super useful for the average person who wants to get online and do some general work browsing, etc. without having all the problems of Windows (bugs, etc.) and without having to take out a loan (Apple). These devices are anywhere from $200-$500. There are some higher end models that could fluctuate this price but its technology so its ever changing.
I am thinking of getting this for a certain someone in my family who has killed 3 windows PC's with viruses and I currently have them using Linux because of that. This would provide an easy to use replacement for that and they are familiar with Chrome so it wouldn't be hard to switch over to.