iPod’s fragility gives way to array of protective casings

We are of a delicate nature.

If you drop us onto hard-packed ice, do we not crack? If you riddle us with birdshot, do we not bleed? If you remove our clothes, do we not shiver and request more flattering lighting?

In fact, one might be inclined to conclude that humans are not practically constructed at all. (If we had, say, an exoskeleton – like beetles and lobsters – think how much money we’d save on back-to-school shopping. Of course, it would take some of the excitement out of things like "Jackass" and luging.)

Lacking an exoskeleton, we learned early on to cover ourselves, and when we finally got around to creating things – school textbooks, cellphones – we made them in our own image: easily scratched and in need of protective gear.

Fast forward to the omnipresent iPod, that fragile flower of technological frippery that, after its introduction in 2001, has slowly become the must-have gadget of the decade. It’s said that in 2005, an iPod was sold every second. The iPod, in its many incarnations, can play more songs than a roadhouse cover band, and display photos and video. Yet it cannot defend itself.

"They told me when I bought it that if I dropped it, it could break," said Julie Eisele, a Clifton Park, N.Y., mom who bought two iPod Nanos for Christmas. In the two months since the holiday, Eisele has noticed that the devices (as yet, uncased) have picked up noticeable scratches from normal use, and what’s more, the warranty just expired. "It’s been a really good product, but I do have a sense that it is fragile," she said.

The $238-million iPod case industry is banking on that sense.

Familiar brands, as well as dozens of new companies, have stepped up to offer the nation of iPod owners options for protective adornment, sporting a variety of vaguely racy, randomly capitalized names.

Here are just a few:

• For those who like their iPods naked, there’s iSee Nano ($19.95) available online at the Apple Store. This hard-shelled case latches on both sides, and offers access to the Click Wheel, jacks and connectors.

• For the accident-prone, Tuffwrap provides "extra protection, and plenty of attitude," with a two-tone case and "stylish ribbed sides" that grip on slippery surfaces, like dashboards. Get one for $19.95 online or the Apple Store. For the indecisive, color-coordinated three-packs run $24.95.

• For the athletic, cases allow you to wear an iPod in spots (upper arm) that have not been properly used since greasers stored their cigarette packs there. The XtremeMac SportWrap for iPod ($29.95), for instance, is "an ultra-compact, moisture-resistant case you can wear comfortably on your arm."

• One couldn’t expect haute couture designers – long accustomed to adorning slender, fragile things – to stay out of the game. There’s the Gucci iPod Sling ($200), and a similarly priced, snakeskin case by Coach.

• For the well-heeled and well-tuned, a $1,500 case from Fendi allows for the transport of multiple iPods.

These might not completely save your iPod, or you, from untimely demise or accidental scarification, but at least you’ll both look good getting there. — Albany Times Union