One of the problems I see at the Framework is the keyboard, it’s a one-piece soldered part.
This is not entirely a bad thing, but cleaning is very difficult, also you can’t replace keys or the sensor if fails in future.
If we consider the basic principle of Framework laptop, you should be able to repair your own keyboard. Just because one key fails, you shouldn’t buy a entirely new keyboard.
At most laptops manufacturers, you can fix/replace each key, clean the inside and replace the sensors if they start failing.
It would certainly be ideal if every component was individually repairable, but at some level in even every “repairable” device there is just is going to be a point where you need to replace the sub-assembly. You can’t do individual component replacements on everything. Even if you try to make everything physically disassemble-able, people won’t have the skills and / or equipment to do component repairs, so it doesn’t make sense to spend the extra cost & effort. The considerable amount of design cost, but also the ongoing cost of Framework stocking every individual component. Because there are costs involved in stocking and fulfilling many additional small, low volume items, it just won’t make sense for everything.
I don’t mean to be a killjoy. I too, wish the keyboard itself could be entirely disassembled, but I think the reality is, due to the costs & logistics involved, this one is rather unlikely to happen.
I was under the impression that pretty much no mainstream laptop manufacturer has keys that can officially be removed without risk of damage. Meaning, that the manufacturer says you are fine to do it.
Now you can certainly remove & reattach the keycaps on seemingly many laptops. But you still risk damage if you aren’t careful & / or lucky. And they are not officially removable.
This is the same with Framework. Not officially removable. But you can do it if you have the skill. People have posted keyboards where they rearranged the keys. I recall one rearranged to an alternate layout like Colemak, and another that was a mix of normal and transparent keys. But other people have reported they managed to break keys in their attempt. Depends on your personal skill & / or luck.
It would require more space (thickness) than we presently have on the framework 16.
That being said it would be a good idea for framework to offer an alternate set of hinges/bezel with enough space so that the community can build customized keyboards ortholinear/split/etc. This would also allow adding a trackpoint to the keyboard (thinkpad style).
I know Framework 13 and 16 are entirely different formats, but said that, keyboards are damn dirty and eventually gets lots of nasty things, you should be able to do some proper cleaning to prevent sticky keys and collect a micro-organism farm.
Even with a trackpoint we will still need physical buttons and they will need to be somewhere under the keyboard. The easiest will probably be to use the space where the trackpad is today.