You can have absolutely any type of keyboard you want, as long as it's small. Occasionally a full-size keyboard or DIY kit will show up somewhere, but then it's just a bog-standard full-size layout.
I can't easily think of another industry where the enthusiasts are so heavily grouped on a single, lighter side of the spectrum. But when it comes to keyboards, the layperson's keyboard is like a Rolls Royce (albeit a really cheaply-built, rattly knock-off), with numpad, media keys, and no need to resort to convoluted layers and forced extra key-presses. Anyone who wants to customise their keyboard beyond that has little choice but to look downwards.
I just want to reiterate what Volny said about the shoddy build quality of pre-built MX keyboards.
Some of us are indeed looking for TKL and full-size keyboards, and pre-builts dominate that space.
Volny compared full-size pre-builts to a Rolls Royce [in design] "albeit a really cheaply-built, rattly knock-off."
That's so true! The design characteristics of large keyboards can be quite ample. But imagine a pre-built MX tactile full-size keyboard. You'll have:
-spring ping
-relatively high-pitched switch noise
-audible sandiness and scratchiness
-inconsistent sound profile across the keyboard
-ticking stabilizers
-large stabilized keys wobble or go angles other than flat
-crudely sculpted keycaps with horrible gamer fonts or boring legends that will wear away
-inconsistent factory spring weights
What's the point of going mechanical, for a superior typing experience, if that's what a factory tactile board is like. No wonder most of the world is on rubber-domes.
If I'm going to pay 5-10x times an office rubber-dome, I want it to offer something that exudes quality out-of-the-box. I haven't even gotten into how bad keycaps used to be.
It's getting better, largely thanks to the custom scene. You see more and more factory double-shot PBT, Cherry-profile, lubed stabilizers, non-Cherry switches, detachable-cable keyboards.
So thank-you custom scene for pushing this. I'm typing on a custom light tactile keyboard, and my Filco Majestouch 2 seems so crude by comparison. At least those MX Browns are worn-in now, and it has some nice DCS keycaps.