Keyshorts.com MacBook keyboard decals
Or how to make your UK's Macbook QWERTY keyboard look French!
The need
I am only using laptops with QWERTY keyboards - that's an habit I took with my studies in computer science (the school I was at had only QWERTY keyboards, with the desktops running NetBSD).
Since then, I've been only using such keyboards, both for my personal gear, and also professional - when permitted... it used to be a bit harder, but nowadays, it's super easy to order e.g. a MacBook Pro with a US internal layout.
Now, each laptop I have is used for several years, and then I change it - but it's still in perfect state, so it can still be used. I usually have my wife or kids use it, since their usage is fairly basic (Internet, editing documents).
But a QWERTY keyboard is a no go for them - especially for typing French accents (it's doable since I do it, but the combinations of keys is not super intuitive).
The solution
So the first time I wanted to give a MacBook to my wife, I looked for a way to put stickers on the keyboard, and transform it to an AZERTY keyboard.
This is where I found Keyshorts.com, a Poland-based
small company who specialises in such decals.
I ordered one, the result was
perfect and I've been doing this for every laptop I "recycle" now.
Order
Ordering the stickers
On the website, you can choose your layout and your sticker style - I always go for "black with white lettering", since that makes the MacBook keyboard look exactly like a regular one (see picas below).
Price
I paid a total of $37,94: $29.95 for the stickers, and $7.99 for shipping to France.
As you'll see below, given the quality of the decals, this is really fine - bear in mind this is done by a small EU company, not a huge firm.
How much time till you receive them
Once you've ordered your decals, you'll have to wait a bit since they are done once the order has been passed.
To give you an example:
- I ordered mine on May 24, 203,
- They shipped from Poland on June 3, 2023
- I received them on June 14, 2023.
So we're talking about 3 weeks, which to be honest is completely fine, given the quality of the decals - it's worth waiting.
In action
Instructions
You'll receive the decals in an "strengthened" enveloppe, to avoid them to be damaged.
Inside the enveloppe, you'll have the decals, as well as Ania's signature, and instructions on how to apply the stickers:
It's really easy to do - of course, it requires time and patience, since you're applying the sticker for each key of your keyboard.
It took me about 15 minutes to do it on an evening.
Result
Here is my keyboard before the stickers are applied:
And here is it with the stickers:
Wrap Up
I'm really happy with the result and quality of those stickers, you have to know that they're here, both visually but also when typing.
Highly recommended!