So basically we can now do a recovery the same as every other OS is able to do, just using different keys.

Windows has always been able to recover that way and from what I've read, same with Macs and Linux pc's.

Actually now that I think of it, I was able to do that with the chromeFlex os that I installed on my Dell laptop only with the Dell, it stated I had to hit the F11 key on startup to get to the recovery options. I did the recovery when the Dell wouldn't recognize my wifi.

The only reason to do a backup on a cb is if you want to powerwash it or if you're worry that google cloud will loose all of your files.