Overview

Let's take a closer look at the case - here are pictures of the front of the case. NOTE - there's a gray cardboard insert that comes shipped inside the case to keep the case's shape during transport - that's what you see in the picture below.

The reason it's called the Leather Sleeve is self evident - this case acts like a sleeve for the Apple iPod. You slide the iPod in through the top and it stays secure inside the case. The sleeve has a plastic screen protector for the LCD display.

There is an opening at the bottom for accessing the click wheel and the various control buttons on the iPod.

Notice the fine stitching all along the borders of the leather case. Most of the case is made of leather except for the side and bottom sections. The inner lining is made of soft suede. The sides are stretchable to fit the various iPod models out there since not all iPods are made equal.

This is great since now all you have to do is buy one type of case and not worry whether you have the 2G iPod or the 3G iPod (let alone the new 4G iPod). Again - the only iPod that wouldn't work for this case is the iPod mini.

The iPod that we used in this review is the 30GB 3G model which is actually one of the larger iPods available on the market. The back of the case also has a belt clip in case you need one. The clip isn't very imposing and thus doesn't stick out very far from the back of the case.

The bottom of the case has an opening for the dock connector although you will not be able to place the iPod onto the dock itself with this case on. You'll need to detach the USB/Firewire cable from the dock and directly attach it to the iPod with this case - but that's true for all cases out on the market.

Usage

We used the Leather Sleeve on our 30GB iPod for nearly a week going from home to work to various events on the road. The first thing you'll notice with the Leather Sleeve is the snug fit that this case offers for the iPod. The size of the iPod actually doesn't increase by much with the case in place. The Leather Sleeve has a very minimal design that actually complements the design of the Apple iPod. While other cases may either overwhelm the iPod or even hide the iPod entirely, the Incase Leather Sleeve protects the player without suffocating its beautiful design.

And yes - we said this before but it's worth mentioning again. We love the fact that you can use the Sleeve on a wide range of iPod models. Not much thought is involved in figuring out which iPod this case works for.

The plastic screen cover is clear enough to allow you to see the display and yet protects the screen fairly well. The only major complaint that we had with the plastic screen cover was that it scratched fairly easily in our bags. Of course it is better that the screen cover scratches rather than the iPod LCD screen.

The case doesn't seal the entire iPod in - there are openings for the control buttons and the wheel as well as openings along the top and bottom of the iPod. This case won't keep the dust or small particles away from your iPod but it does do a good job of providing padding and protection to most of the surface. However, keep in mind that since the corners of the iPod are still exposed to the outside world, there is still a chance for damage if the iPod is dropped on a hard surface at an angle. However it should be noted that many leather cases available on the market also expose the corners of the iPod to the outside world.

Despite a few shortcomings, the Incase Leather Sleeve does a fine job of protecting the Apple iPod. Think of the Leather Sleeve as a first line of defense for the daily wear and tear that users may put the iPod through. Of course - one of the most important areas of consideration is the price and at $24.95, the Incase Designs Leather Sleeve is definitely a hard product to beat.

Summary

Let's face it - there are just a ton of cases for the Apple iPod and over the next few weeks, we'll be looking at a variety of them here at WhiningDog. The Incase Leather Sleeve is a well manufactured, excellent and inexpensive case. It delivers a beautiful minimal design which actually complements the Apple iPod digital music player. The case works for a variety of iPod models and is made of high quality Nappa leather. You can still damage your iPod since the Sleeve doesn't cover or pad the entire device but as we said before - this is common to many leather cases on the market today. However, the Leather Sleeve provides enough protection for everyday use and let's face it - at $24.95, this is an excellent value for a case. Before deciding on a case for your new Apple iPod, take a look at the Incase Designs Leather Sleeve. It may just be the product you're looking for. We'd like to thank Incase Designs for sending us an evaluation sample to review.

If you have any comments or questions, please post them in our forums.

Pros:

• Inexpensive
• Snug tight fit
• Fits a wide range of iPod models
• Dock connector accessible

Cons:

• Screen cover easily scratched
• iPod corners are not well protected

[Home] [Previous Page]