Wireless is subject to interference and introduces new security concerns. They run on batteries which you then have to replace. They tend to cost more. That's a lot of trouble to avoid a two foot USB cable.
Latency -- You'll never get a wireless mouse faster than fiber-optic, since the computer screen would interfere with optical wireless transmission ;)
I jest. The real theoretical issue is pairing (portability). I can't think of a wireless solution that provides all three of:
1. No dongle. I don't want an extra thing to keep track of.
2. Fast and convenient pairing ("plug" and play). Connecting to a different computer should not be a hassle.
3. Secure. Device must only pair with computers of my choosing.
Dongles, WPS buttons, and bluetooth number confirmation are existing solutions that provide any two. A physical plug combines "connect" and "authorize" steps, neatly sidestepping the issue.
The closest thing I could think of to solve this would be a standard, as ubiquitous as USB, for wireless connection: each device has a code that serves as protocol negotiation, identification, and authorization. So you open up a "connect a device" dialog on the computer, type in your device's code, and the computer automatically discovers the device and pairs with it. But even this is a compromise on both usability (another thing to remember...) and/or security (it could be printed on the device, like a serial number, but then...).
And, of course there's the myriad practical issues mentioned elsewhere in the thread. I think if they were (truly) solved, I would buy wireless devices for my home setup, to do away with cable management, and keep cheap wired ones for use with other people's computers. I don't anticipate this happening for at least a decade or two.
I may be misunderstanding your point, but couldn't the USB-based pairing that Apple uses for their keyboards and mice solve functionally all of these issues?
There's no dongle (they're bluetooth) and pairing is dead simple (plug it in once and it's available everywhere). I don't think I've ever seen a security analysis of their peripherals, but the potential for a mitm attack on the keyboard seems like it would be equal to or lower than a wired version.
This assumes, of course, that you're using Apple products across the board but it is a solution nonetheless.
D'oh! Yes, if I understand correctly (I don't use Apple products[0], so this is the first I'm hearing of it), that would solve the issue, since USB cables are common enough that I wouldn't need to bring one with me just for pairing. I'll still be sticking to wired for practical reasons, for the time being, but maybe those will be fixed sooner than I expect :)
[0] I swore off of walled gardens after an unsavory experience regarding EOL of the 1st gen iPod touch — Apple effectively bricked my working hardware by taking all apps for it off the app store.
It’s not practical when you have to do it several times a day and having a cable lying around and having to connect it sort of defies the purpose of a wireless keyboard/mouse.
Same applies to Bluetooth speakers by the way, pairing is just horribly annoying. I wish they’d just replace the volume buttons for a dedicated pairing button instead of having a different way to pair on each device (do I hold the volume or that other button? Was it 3 or 15 seconds)
I must admit having several computers is a bit of an edge case, but still.
For a keyboard, wireless buys me nothing but introduces a number of new potential issues.
For a mouse, wireless buys you some convenience and freedom of movement. However (and this is slightly niche so it really doesn’t apply in general) I use a trackball, so the wireless advantages are 100% negated.
Being able to move around (several monitors) and easy use of a standing desk are some advantages. I have a workstation under my desk and a laptop that I frequently hook up to my monitors frequently.
Philosophically, wireless is just going to be more complicated than wired. Say I'm sitting in front of 4 computers with 1 keyboard. Without interacting with the system at all, which computer is connected to the keyboard? With wireless its difficult/impossible to tell whereas it's fairly clear with wired.
It is! In engineering, as discrete from science, the point of theory is to know what is going to happen in practice. If theory can't tell you, then it's useless for practical purposes. If the theory is ignoring important aspects of reality that make it useless, then what's the point of theory?
Eg In theory we can move faster than light, we just need a source of infinite energy. In practice, "infinite" is an impossibly large amount of energy, so any theories that allow for faster than light travel are only interesting for entertainment/theoretical purposes.
For wireless connections, the gulf between theory and practice is just too large, so theory remains theoretical.
It's more stuff that can go wrong. I understand why you would want a wired mouse for a weird setup where you don't want a wire from the mouse or /can't/ have a wire from the mouse to the machine. But I don't see the need just like I don't see a need for wireless charging or wireless hdmi or wireless southbridge.
Wireless hdmi: Though it’s technically not the same, think of chromecast, I think it’s nice to be able to stream stuff on the tv without the need to physically connect it.
Since power cables are still the easiest to find in a normal household (compared to any cables that carry data), I’d argue that anything except for these can have at least a little bit of value if it’s wireless and done in a convenient way.
