I don't get the "if the internet's not connected, you're computer is a brick if it's not connected to the internet. If I don't have the internet with my laptop, There's not much I'm going to do with it. What am I going to do offline? Create a spreadsheet in the woods?
I get that it's nice to have offline capabilities, but I think the objections are overstated. You can play media (music and movies) offline with a USB device. Once google docs go offline, I think the criticism will be baseless.
On a side note, I did read a piece over the weekend in which some VP from Google said he was really pleased with demand. I'd link, but I lost track of the article. Otherwise, the release certainly wasn't a big splash.