Wireless keyboard generally seem like a totally terrible idea, just waiting for hacks. The author mentions not going after wireless gaming keyboards because they were the “wrong kind of mess,” I assume, security through abstrusity :)
I guess I could maybe -- maybe -- see the convenience if you have some sort of small-form-factor keyboard that you stash in your bag. But still, the wire doesn't seem like much of a burden, and personally I'd find the annoyance of needing to ensure the batteries are charged/fresh to be... more annoying.
I can kinda see how a wireless mouse would be nice; the wire can get in the way of mousing around sometimes. But I'd still rather a wired one than wireless.
Yes, absolutely. Having your keyboard right next to your screen is terrible ergonomics. Fine in a pinch or during a meeting, but not for working for hours.
The Magic Keyboard slides right into my bag, and I use it on my lap while my laptop sits on a table or airplane tray. It's incredibly more comfortable. I have long arms and it's literally impossible to type on a plane otherwise, without elbowing seatmates in the ribs. If I'm working somewhere remote that's more private, I use a tiny collapsible stand that raises the laptop display closer to eye height as well. (Don't want to attract weird attention like that in a coffee shop though.)
You could carry around a portable display, but that might be a bit of an overkill in terms of cost and bulk. Unlike a display, a portable keyboard is lighter and often smaller than the laptop itself. Modern wireless keyboards have almost no lag, have nice mechanical keys with replaceable keycaps, etc.
Working away from a stationary setup, I consider a separate keyboard a must—and particularly a wireless keyboard, since the one thing that reliably breaks on every laptop is physical I/O, especially USB/USB-C ports (and every time plugging/unplugging another accessory brings that closer).
Working with a stationary setup you have a detached keyboard anyway, and if it’s wired you don’t really need to unplug it, like, ever, so a wireless keyboard loses a lot of its advantages—though if you have a really large screen and have a lot of leeway for moving your chair around for comfortable work not having cables get in the way might be nice as well.
Anecdotally, I don’t tend to run into connection issues with wireless keyboards—I do with wireless mice, however.
Luckily, in USB-C, the springy bit is in the cable, so that's where the wear and tear is. If it stops working, the cable is generally easy to replace.
> I touch the chassis with my thumb and index finger around the USB, and kind of roll my fingers so they put pressure against the chassis
This doesn’t work when you have two ports in close proximity and one of them is occupied. In that scenario I’d have to either lift the laptop in order to squeeze the connector from top & bottom while removing (this option requires not being exhausted or lazy) or pull on a cable a bit further away from the connector (though I do it gently nowadays, pushing with another finger against the chassis for at least some balance).
The most flaky removable thing I've encountered is microSD cards, and I don't know if it's the card or the reader, but they tend to only work half the time. I even check them for authenticity of space, so I don't know why they're so flaky.
Is it easy to source replacement I/O boards for Framework?
But on the original topic, it appears that modern wireless keyboards fare well enough as far as connection and latency[0] to qualify for gaming, so I wonder if your impression about connection reliability could be a bit outdated?
[0] https://www.rtings.com/keyboard/reviews/logitech/g715#test_6...
They all is USB-C charged so I use a single charger cable for macbook, gaming controller, keyboard and mouse.
In that case, you likely want a wireless keyboard and mouse to use it.
Charging is not an issue, get some Logitech that lasts months if not years.
Keyboards are used to enter secrets so they rank pretty high in my threat model.
And aesthetics? This is a forum that tirelessly obsesses over micro usb vs usb-c. Wired is de facto obsolete afaiac.