As the title says - why create a full (numpad) width macro pad instead of a half width?
Two half width, one on each side of the keyboard would not only center the keyboard and avoid having to deal with an offset trackpad, but also be more ergonomic (you don’t have to use the same hand and extra reach to get to all the macro keys).
Kind of an odd design choice.
I guess made to simplify things (by recycling and reusing numpad tooling)?
Edit: below is a stupid statement I did without research. Correction is in my next post.
I’d wager because each of them will either have five buttons which are too wide and too few or ten buttons which are too narrow to press with an adult finger without pressing the neighboring button.
Once Framework releases one-key module, someone could build a half-width macro module with five keys, though.
6 on each side, really (5 + 1 half-height).
So 12 total, which i think is still plenty of macros 
You know what, I’m sorry, I jumped to posting without research and made a totally stupid statement. I assumed the macropad has only 5 rows and only 3 colimns of keys, but it has 6 rows and 4 colimns, so it’s feasible to have two columns of normal sized keys on a half-width module.
Your idea looks quite cool, actually. You can put the keyboard in the middle and still have macros. Moreover, it opens the possibility of having a macropad and a LED matrix.
I would also like this half width macropad, in order to get single hand pgup, pgdown, home, end keys.
They have been teasing us with the single keys, but none are in stock to purchase.
Maybe FW could publish a design and let users manufacture the parts on their own, if FW don’t wish to make them themselves yet.
I’d say it’s 12 keys per half-width module because the normal Macropad is 4x6 and half of that would be 2x6. I really like the idea, first I thought that is wouldn’t be possible for a similar reason as why the trackpad can’t be everywhere on the 16, but then I realised that the Matrix basically has the same requirements as the half-width macropad would have, and they exist, so it should work.
Yeah I was just thinking this same thing! Having a 12 key half-width macro pad + the LED Matrix panel would be so cool. Also, totally unrelated, but a 10x40 LED matrix would be cool since then we can use it to play Tetris.