The weak should not wear long nails. Have you ever used 20mm claws to remove contact lenses? horrifying. In addition to making me fearful of sticking my eyes out, having long nails also makes daily tasks more challenging. You have to use your imagination to open drink cans, push buttons, replace garbage bags without piercing them, and even take care of your personal hygiene. But typing is the most tedious thing ever.

The saying “beauty is pain” is embodied while one is typing with long nails. I get slow and make a lot of mistakes when using phones. The situation is more problematic with laptops since their flat keys are not designed to accommodate the curved shape of a longer nail. You find yourself using the sides of your fingers and the tips of your nails to type. Sending a quick email is not a big deal, but a 1,500-word review? Then it starts to hurt.

That’s why when the $45 Tippy Type appeared in my feed, the TikTok algorithm caught my attention.

For people with medium-to-long nails, there is a silicone keyboard cover called Tippy Type. It has cylindrical keys that resemble towers so you may type with your finger pads rather than your nails, as is natural. There are two benefits that are suggested. Firstly, there shouldn’t be any pain. Furthermore, it shields your manicure.

The trolls are already laughing at the idea that ladies worry about breaking their nails. Wouldn’t it be more convenient to simply have short nails? I mean, I’m not just playing around with long nails here. As a reviewer, I frequently serve as a part-time hand model for the device(s) I evaluate. If there’s a smear of dirt under my natural nail or, heaven forbid, my lacquer is chipped, the Internet Nail Police has shown up in my comments on numerous occasions over the years.

The worst thing is that their prediction about how the pictures and videos will seem is accurate. Never mind that gender plays a major role in this. Longer nails somehow lengthen the fingers and improve the aesthetics of product photos.

But elegant nails don’t come cheap. For instance, a set of gel or acrylic extensions might go up to $120. Press-ons are far more cost-effective, but I always worry that one will come off at the wrong time. For instance, I pushed my jeans on too forcefully the other day and lost one. A few have flown away from me while I’m typing. It’s also inconvenient to always have nail glue on you or, in the case of extensions, to have to make an additional appointment. One way to save time and money is to prolong the life of your manicure.

 

Theoretically, this explains why long-nail enthusiasts find the Tippy Type appealing even at $45 in price. It must, however, fulfill the promise, just like any other product.

It felt strange using the Tippy Type without its case the first time. Sara Young Wang, the CEO and cofounder, advised me that there is a small learning curve. She was serious. It’s difficult to explain, but this isn’t your typical squishier key. Compared to standard laptop keys, these are stiffer and require a little bit more pressure. You initially have to choose where to place your fingers because the cylindrical shape also reduces your surface area.

But it doesn’t take long to adjust. I took one of those one-minute typing exams to see how far I had come, both with and without the Tippy Type. I achieved about 60 words per minute with 98 percent accuracy on the first day. I was averaging between 80 and 90 wpm with 98 and 99 percent accuracy after a week or two. Anecdotally, typing with the cover has helped me type fewer errors than when I didn’t.

It’s not flawless, though. Both medium and long press-ons worked OK for me, although this might not work well if your nails are exceptionally long. Furthermore, certain keys are still difficult to press. For instance, except from the Esc key, there is no protection for the function keys, and the arrow keys are small and unwieldy. Furthermore, closing your laptop is difficult if, for example, you need to go the restroom. Finally, Wang notes that the Tippy Type is now only compatible with MacBooks, but the business is working on versions for Lenovo, Dell, and HP computers as well.

The Tippy Type’s value ultimately depends on how frequently you use a laptop and how serious you are about your nail art. Are you a gymnast like Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, or Simone Biles, for whom nothing can stop you from achieving long-term success, not even Olympic-caliber tumbling? In that case, it is most likely worthwhile. However, I primarily use a desktop computer with a mechanical keyboard in my daily life because it is more tolerant of long nails. If it weren’t the height of tech review season, I doubt that I would have felt the need for a product such as this one.

Nevertheless, during the last few weeks, when I had tight deadlines, lengthy review word counts, and long nails, the Tippy Type came in handy.

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