It honestly just seems ridiculous that 3rd party software is required to restore 'basic' keyboard/computer functionality to a feature that few people seem to enjoy having in the first place.
If people want the touch bar, fine, have a separate SKU for that, but at least give those of us who want a real keyboard the option to have one.
It feels to me like Apple should have taken an "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" approach. There was, and is, nothing wrong with a traditional keyboard, yet for some reason they decided that changing something so fundamental was a good idea. In fact I would probably be less miffed if their systems came setup with Dvorak, at least it's possible to argue reasons why it was a good decision.
Now in 2020, they actually already offer all keyboard layouts on any laptop in their US store, all at no extra cost -- which is really nice -- you can get a British, Japanese or Russian keyboard directly on any laptop when purchased directly at Apple.com for US delivery on a US credit card -- at no extra charge -- and it's advertised to still come with a correct US-based plug, so, there's nothing to worry about.
I wish Lenovo would follow suit. Currently, Lenovo doesn't even sell separate SKUs for non-en-US keyboard layout even on external keyboards, not to mention keyboards already integrated into the laptops. But in any case, I'd rather have the physical keys than the TouchBar strip, even if accompanied by a laser-etched keyboard layout of my choice.
If people want the touch bar, fine, have a separate SKU for that, but at least give those of us who want a real keyboard the option to have one.
It feels to me like Apple should have taken an "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" approach. There was, and is, nothing wrong with a traditional keyboard, yet for some reason they decided that changing something so fundamental was a good idea. In fact I would probably be less miffed if their systems came setup with Dvorak, at least it's possible to argue reasons why it was a good decision.