An Apple Store exclusive — and not even listed on Incase’s website — Pop Case ($30) is one of the relatively few protective options available for the fifth-generation iPod touch. Coming with either an salmon or blue rubberized frame, the case is mainly made from clear plastic, reminiscent of Griffin’s Reveal, and other similarly styled cases. There are a few notable differences though, enough to make it more than just a simple clone of what’s come before.
The iPod touch easily snaps into the case, which provides a very small but still obvious protective front lip. It covers the Sleep/Wake and volume buttons without diminishing the tactility too much.
What’s impressive in comparison to Reveal is how the bottom edge is handled: instead of just a single opening providing access to the speaker, Lightning, and headphone connectors, the edge is mostly covered, with holes for each port, and five tiny dots matching the speaker grille below. It’s a nice touch, and adds extra protection.
On the back, you’ll notice the other key difference between the two cases. Both have large—we’d say overly so—openings for the iSight camera and flash.
Whereas Reveal’s loop button hole is only slightly larger than the button itself, Pop Case’s is much larger, extending out from the corner of the case and leaving more of the metal back exposed than necessary. This does offer one advantage: you can install or remove the loop without having to take the case off. Naturally, both these holes will be superfluous for users of Apple’s newly-introduced 16GB fifth-generation iPod touch, which lacks the camera and loop.
Pop Case looks quite nice, as long as you match colors correctly; one of our editors quickly commented on his distaste for the salmon-colored rubber against the blue aluminum, a color clash that can obviously be avoided with the right Pop Case purchase. The way the bottom edge is handled is appreciated, but balanced out by the overly-large loop hole, and the overall value is dragged down by the price.
