I love the short throw keys. Obviously everyone has their own personal preferences. I feel like my fingers are dancing across the new keyboard. Initially I disliked the size of the keys, but now when I go back to an older keyboard I realize I even prefer those. (Edit: I still dislike the arrow keys, those suck).

Apple’s big problem is that they cater to everyone with a single offering. And since the keyboards are cut into the metal casing of the laptop, it would probably be expensive to offer an option here (though they probably should). So they make a decision, piss off some, make others happy. This is where PCs have an advantage, as you have more choice.

Expensive, for a company with a ridiculous cash stockpile. I think many users would trade a touchbar in for a better keyboard and a slightly heavier laptop (acknowledging you won't be able to get a laptop as thin with a different type of key). This is a really important issue for a pretty significant chunk of their core tech audience. If Dell can manage the complexity of their product line and all the options they have, then Apple can budge a little on the mono-design of their laptop product lines. I get it on phones and they already proliferated their phone options too much IMO, but laptops, especially since you can put that out of the way as a custom order on the web site for people that really care, just seems like an obvious thing. That or figure out how to make everyone happy.

The answer is simple. They no longer had someone that would tell them "No, redo it."

It's also why we have a notch on the iPhone X.

The notch is extremely ugly and unApple. Its seriously messed up.

When Steve Jobs passed on, I read a blog post by someone saying (in response to a bad, pretentious ad from Apple targeting Samsung, the one which had a condescending tone belitttling Samsung users rather than showing what the iPhone has) that it would take years before Apple screwed up its product line, but only about a year or so until they screw their advertising. I guess they have started messing their product line.

Literally every mouse Apple ever did since....1998? was not something I'd ever use. Didn't like the external keyboards the gave me either but they were less awful. If there's any aspect ever that still having Steve Jobs around would not help in it's the input devices. Though the touch pads on laptops are still the best in their class.