Typing on a flat surface is something that certainly takes some getting used to.
I wonder up to what point are we slaves of custom.
The primary reason we use a keyboard is because we use an alphabet. The alphabet serves as a major constraint in keyboard design, so you would need to address that you make any crazy changes. But that isn't really the issue...
We don't write with our fingers in the sand (or equivalent) for a reason. It is less efficient and more uncomfortable than current technologies. Try it on a touchscreen program that recognizes your handwriting. You will write incredibly slowly, messily, and you will hurt yourself after a month from overuse.
People are definitely willing to evolve, the new technology just needs to be better than the current one.
Scratching things on rocks sucked. Quills were better. But not as good as pens, because sharpening your quill and dipping it every three words is a pain in the ass when you're in a hurry. Fountain pens were great, but finicky and travel poorly. Ballpoint were much more robust, but with a slightly deficient writing experience (no line variation and have to press hard reducing writing quality). Rollerballs require less pressure.
We similarly went from typewriters to keyboards. And have been reducing the keyboard key press distance and feel for the last several years.
The key thing that most designers miss is that you actually need SOME feedback when you are writing or typing. If the pen is too slippery on the paper, or the keypress is too short (or nonexistent for a touchscreen), you lose track of things. "Did I press the key? Or just skim it? Did I hit the meta escape key or the F1 touch area? Did my pen run out of ink or did I miss the paper? Oh shit, I missed the paper and am writing on the table!"
Touchscreens let us type incredibly fast, but also wildly inaccurately and with no feeling. There's nothing wrote with touchscreen keys, but the existing designs are primitive. Put a touchscreen ON the key of a real keyboard. Let me control how high the key sits and how far I want to depress it for it to function. Keys need to actually have edges that you can feel for touch typing.
All of those features are standard on aftermarket keyboards for enthusiasts and professionals. They are the direction that the touchscreen technology needs to evolve. I currently feel that touchscreen keyboards are at the ballpoint pen level: They get the job done and are convenient, but are inaccurate, uncomfortable and provide no feedback.
