I suppose building architecture for the always-connected future while still supporting the situation at present is out of the question, eh?

It seems clear to me that Chrome OS is intended to work offline anyway, so even if Google were spellbound by the no-hedging-your-bets fairy, I'm not sure that this would be a convincing demonstration of its power.

Perhaps, but at present offline functionality is extremely limited. Getting stuck somewhere with no reception often transformed my Chromebook into an elegant paperweight.

Seems like Mark is pointing out a tension, but instead of complimenting Google on responding to real needs - cross border travel, the benefit of being able to use your phone while doing activites out of reception like hiking or boating - he takes issue with the conflicting belief that ultimately serve the end user.

I suppose HTML 5 offline caching undercuts connectivity as well.

The article is making a mountain out of a mole hill.

I'll use this feature when I cross the boarder because data roaming costs are expensive and finding wifi isn't always convenient.