Nope. Hardware that ran Linux fine was insufficient for Windows. So Microsoft made requirements for larger screens, bigger memory or they'd take away the windows discount. So manufacturers stopped making 7" and 9" netbooks. And the 11" that they did make we're not as appealing to the people who liked netbooks at the time - the price/performance/weight/size difference was not reasonable compared to a bona fide laptop.
Which probably was microsoft's intention in the first place.
Which normal user needs to? I could easily use Chrome alone for any 'normal' tasks. The only native apps I use are Vim, some specialised content creation apps, and command line tools. Don't tell me the average user needs these.
Chrome OS' popularity is proof that for many, it is enough. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see OEMs shipping Ubuntu or Suse, but Chrome OS is more capable than it gets credit for.
My understanding was that the relatively high licensing cost of windows (relative to the hardware) was a major problem.