This came to me as I am writing on my Lenovo ThinkPad keyboard.
I have used almost every type of keyboard for modern computers and have found that they do make a difference. But some of the more expensive keyboards or fancy features don’t seem to affect how good I can type on them.
Let’s start with laptops, as that is what I am on. The ThinkPad line of keyboards are known for how easy they are to type; some writers keep around ancient laptops just for the keyboard and how fast they can type on them. That said, there are some low-end laptop keyboards with really bad switches that make you go back and rewrite things over and over because the key would not work right or other problems. The Apple laptops also seem to have good keyboards, but they are still smaller keys and are not the easiest to type but are of higher quality.
Next, let’s look at desktop keyboards. I use a mechanical keyboard, and I find it easy to type on with real feeling, so you know you pushed the key. Cheaper keyboards can feel mushy and don’t register; they pressing of them as nicely. The Apple keyboard is way overpriced for not the best keys but is of good quality. Now mechanical keyboards almost all come with lights, that’s useless, and some switches make a lot of noise, so work environments may not like them, and they cost a lot more.
Another place to look at is tablet keyboards. Most are bad with lousy movement or missed key presses. The Apple one I found to be great despite the size. I have bigger hands, so some of them are just too small, and I always hit 2-3 keys.
Mobile on-screen keyboards are not even a thing for this comparison, but I do like the help spelling along with other things they can do.
I guess you end up getting used to what you have. I find keys with feeling to be the best for me, along with some size. I also think not enough people who spend all day typing things won’t look into different keyboards or employer’s who just give them the cheapest thing and hope they get by. I would bet that spending $50-100 on a keyboard that an employee likes would help by not wasting 5 hours each week. But that’s just my opinion on how people use computers in business.
