The real question should be, "What do I want to do with this computer/Chromebook?".
Do you want to surf the web? Chromebook wins, hands down.
Do you want to create, edit, and save documents? Check out Google Drive. It's a worthy replacement for Microsoft Office.
What do you want to do?
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You mean you'd rather spend over $500 for a Windows laptop/netbook than $249 for a Chromebook?
What does your mother-in-law do besides check Facebook and play solitaire? Because Chromebook will do those things for her, and she'll never have to worry about updating again.
Most people that speak poorly of Chromebooks have no idea what they are talking about.
