With free iPhone cases abounding, an iffy economy, and a new truck project that’s capable of taking every last dollar I will throw at it, why did I buy a $70 iPhone case ? Because it’s the single I’ve always wanted.

Wood is the proper material. It’s second only to leather for a way nice it feels inside the hand-and even that’s debatable. It truly is theoretically sustainable, assuaging the tortured consumer soul with eco-positive lubrication. And it’s just pretty.

While I’ve got nothing but respect for Dieter Rams , the legendary designer’s influence over modern electronics has left us with a global of geometric shapes, cold metal, and monochromatic plastics. The age of wood panelling in electronics is gone, wounded by a Braun-influenced Sony inside the ’80s and ’90s, then felled with a finishing chop by Apple. If Henry David Thoreau walked into an Apple store this morning he’d be whimpering under the leaves of his mother’s kitchen table by brunch.

Wood is tough to mass produce with such a uniformity that multi-million unit sellers require-or no less than I need to presume it’s true, since hardly anyone ever bothers selling even an optional wooden variant, leaving a full material to craftsmen and anachronism fetishists.

Such as Grove , the Portland, Oregon company that makes iPhone cases from Moso bamboo , in most cases a sustainably harvested variety, although sometimes supplies of FSC certified wood just isn’t available.

I brought home a plain iPhone 4 case from Grove about a month ago. The company sells laser-engraved cases for just $20 more and they’re legitimately lovely, unlike so many other ” art” cases, but I believed I would do an original design of my own one day, so I refrained. Nope, it’s just plain wood with a medium finish for me, excepting the small Grove logo etched into the side.

There’s plenty I will be able to complain about. (So here goes.)

As far as iPhone cases go, it’s fairly bulky. Not ‘extra-built-in-battery’ bulky, nevertheless it adds a very good 5mm to each lead to length, and perhaps 3mm to the edges and back. That’s to be expected for wood, obviously. Component of the rationale it isn’t used in modern electronics, especially people that are designed for pockets, is that it isn’t as strong as plastic or steel.

But because the wood used by Grove within reason light, the extra size of the case actually makes the phone feel lighter in a manner. It’s a tactile hallucination, but the lightweight wood around the dense metal-and-glass iPhone seems like it’s going to heavier than it’s miles. It’s a nice sensation; the phone still feels ” solid” in that way that Apple continues to refine, where their products have the handfeel less of gadgets and more of artifacts. (Any other company could do a similar, if only they cared about engineering and precision and manufacturing tolerances to an identical degree.)

Because the wood adds a lip to the phone, many docks and accessories won’t work with the Grove case on. (Your millimileage may vary.) And up top, the Grove case’s depth brings back memories of the iPhone 1′s recessed headphone jack. It’s not as bad as that just about forgotten misstep, but larger minijack plugs simply won’t plug in without an adapter. Not a large issue for headphones-most have tremulously remained on a diet since the iPhone 1 scare-but for other audio plugs it may be an annoyance.

Most damningly, the case in stock form has a bent to…slip off. The Grove case is de facto two pieces which slip over the head and bottom to fulfill below the iPhone’s waistline. They’re held on by tension of the wood (which says a whole lot in regards to the precision of the Grove case itself) and a soft black felt backing. But unlike plastic cases of similar design, the two pieces don’t clip together. They only touch. And after a bit of not up to per week, my Grove case wanted to begin letting the relatively heavy iPhone 4 perilously slide out of the tip component to the case-the part you hold.

To be clear, this happened first the day when I had had my phone within the pocket of my motorcycle jacket while riding out to the Oregon coast. It’s reasonable to think there was a decent bit of vibration. But it surely’s also reasonable to expect that the vibration only speeded up a process that’s inherent to the design.

It was easy enough to fix. I folded a small piece of card stock and slipped it in between the felt and the phone. Snug enough to trust again. Let’s ignore that I had to do an analogous thing to the bottom component to the case in a few weeks.

The black metal bezel on the front of the phone has also started to return ever-so-slightly out of alignment on the left side. I feel that may be because I actually have that little piece of card stock inside the back, causing the complete case to twist slightly over the years. (Grove offered to exchange the felt on my case once I mentioned it to the company’s owner, but I haven’t taken him up on it yet.)

Image: Grove

But You’re Still Suggesting I Buy This?

Here’s the object: It’s wood. It’s not alleged to be perfect. And as far as the quality of the workmanship goes, I am seriously impressed.

The design itself is sensible, with a contemporary-looking trough to reveal the amount controls and a 45° bezel around both edges that comes from the workshop with a smooth hand finish. (Much of the sanding and polishing on Grove cases is by hand, although they’re not scared of sanders either.)

It feels about as thin and precise as a wooden case can be. I will’t ask for more.

Plus it’s wood. Wood that feels better the more I hold my iPhone. Wood that has taken several short falls and looked better as it has weather scuffs and scratches. Wood that’s just pretty to have a look at, to turn idly inside the hand.

There’s doubtless it’s a luxury. However’s a luxury I’ve been yearning for years. Try as i’d, I will’t muster much regret-only spare pennies for when Grove releases an iPad version. [ Grovemade.com ]

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This post is tagged: geometric shapes, henry david thoreau, legendary designer, modern electronics, oregon company, original design, proper material