Even if you're really that set on using Microsoft Word, you can use Office Web Apps with Skydrive.
On the Skype front, until WebRTC is mature enough (soon), Microsoft is stuck using browser plugins if they release a Skype Web App. I'd say chances are near zero that they'd have a Chromebook compatible plugin. Complaining that Skype doesn't work on ChromeOS is like complaining that there's no Google Hangouts app for Windows Phone. The market share is too small to be worth the effort, unfortunately.
Now if Google would only open up Hangouts to video bridging solutions like www.bluejeans.com, www.vidyo.com (which.. is the tech powering google hangouts video), etc.
On the Skype front, until WebRTC is mature enough (soon), Microsoft is stuck using browser plugins if they release a Skype Web App. I'd say chances are near zero that they'd have a Chromebook compatible plugin. Complaining that Skype doesn't work on ChromeOS is like complaining that there's no Google Hangouts app for Windows Phone. The market share is too small to be worth the effort, unfortunately.
Now if Google would only open up Hangouts to video bridging solutions like www.bluejeans.com, www.vidyo.com (which.. is the tech powering google hangouts video), etc.