How long is freshly ground coffee good for, or how long does it take for coffee sitting in a pot to get stale?
Newbie here talking to the experts I realize... but, anyway, just trying to fit in here... I did a
blind test last year comparing freshly ground vs. few-days-before-ground-and-stored-in-air-tight-ceramic-thingy. All from the same bean, roasted a few days before, etc. etc. I couldn't tell the difference, however, my palate has increased in snootiness since then - I'm getting ready to extend the pinky. The purpose was to see whether it made sense for my gf to take pre-ground coffee to make a fresh mid-morning cup since her workplace didn't have/want a grinder. Note I don't actually do this, it was only a test.
Back on topic: depending on how long it takes to heat up the water to temp, maybe it can be a useful feature to help save time in the morning. i.e. you set the doohickey to be ready for 6am, you waltz up to, grind your beans, put them in the basket, brew. Can allow for a good 5-10 minutes more sleep
Again, Rube Goldberg -> R.O.B. to put fresh ground beans into the basket.
Cue the music.