I’m one of those people. First off, the Surface does not compete with the Chromebook, it competes in the $500 range with high end Android tablets, the iPad, and mid range laptops. The Chromebook is a sub $300 netbook.
The primary benefit to running Windows is having access to x86 apps. That’s the Windows advantage over Apple and Android. Without that, you’re comparing a tablet with relatively low end specs that was priced outrageously high for what it offered to well established contenders. $450 plus $100 for a flimsy keyboard cover? A much smaller app ecosystem combined with high end price for low end specs meant failure for the first Surface RT and things haven’t changed with the second one.
All of this goes without mentioning similar products that other OEM manufacturers were coming up with running full Windows, proving it could be done. In fact, the new Asus T100 absolutely destroys the Surface in terms of value.