I work from home and connect my macbook to an external monitor and keyboard. The other day i had to work outside and after 1 minute typing on the macbook, I couldnt bear it. I have no idea how people can work with these primitive things.
I use an external keyboard with a laptop, which I place on my lap. First, it's much more ergonomic to work this way.
Second, the laptop has a lot less wear and tear on it since I'm not typing on it. Not only does it help keep the keyboard nice and clean, but the screen, which gets grime on it from touching the keyboard when I close it.
I'm surprised this configuration is not more popular.