Spruce up your Mac's keyboard with wood key caps
If you are tired of the look of your Apple keyboard, an elegant wooden touch might be the answer.
New York-based accessories company RawBKNY (Raw Brooklyn, New York) is working on releasing a set of key caps for Apple's keyboards that may give your system the makeover you are looking for. The key caps are carved out of a thin layer of wood and given an adhesive backing so they can be applied to the top of the keys of a MacBook or one of Apple's Bluetooth or USB keyboards.
The look that these key caps offer is quite unique, and beyond aesthetics, the durability of the wood in this accessory means it could also be a way to protect the keys.
The key caps will be sold for about $40 to 45, and come in sets for Apple's MacBooks and its standalone Bluetooth and USB keyboards. Currently the key covers are designed for U.S. English keyboard layouts, but RawBKNY is hoping to make them available in numerous other layouts for international users, and has a Kickstarter project going to get this accessory off the ground.
Despite the possible advantages and the fact that this looks like it might be fun to apply to your system, do keep in mind it does have some drawbacks.
The first is a relatively trivial matter: applying the key caps needs to be done one key at a time, and aligning them properly can take patience. The second one is a consideration for laptop users: because the keys are carved out of solid wood, keyboards with backlights will no longer be backlit.
As explained by RawBKNY Creative Director Michael Victorovich:
We have been trying to find ways to make the keys illuminate for quite some time now. The most challenging part is keeping structural integrity of the keys as they are cut straight through and the constant pressing could essentially make letters like A lose the inside shape. When we engrave through certain letters like a and o, they have an untouched part inside which essentially falls through.
Still, if you want a new look and don't rely on backlighting, these wooden keys might be just the way to give your Mac some polish.
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