Pros: Highly attractive soft plastic iPod shuffle case that provides excellent third-party headphone access while protecting almost all of the shuffle’s body. Includes own spare shuffle USB cap and cap cover.
Cons: Doesn’t work with Apple’s lanyard USB cab, doesn’t protect iPod shuffle’s rear power switch at all, pricey.
We’ll come right out and say it: Speck’s SkinTight case for the iPod shuffle ($19.95) is one of the nicest-looking shuffle cases we’ve seen. Because of one major design decision, some people are going to find it impractical, and because of its price, others are going to skip it in favor of something cheaper, but if you can live with these two issues, you’re going to like it.
As with its earlier iPod cases, Speck uses Kraton plastic – a harder than rubber but softer than hard plastic material – to attractively frost the entire shuffle body save three holes. The rear power switch is left open to give you a place to insert the Shuffle. The USB plug pokes out a small hole in the bottom.
And a contoured hole is left for headphones. That’s it.
Inside the case, the overall look is excellent, and we underscore that word: SkinTight offers a nice thick layer of plastic that looks especially good in translucent tones, just like Power Support’s top-of-class Silicone Jackets. We tested Speck’s pink and clear translucents, as well as a jet black that is barely see-through; we liked clear the best, but the pink wasn’t bad, either. The company will also sell green, blue, and red cases in the near future.
What about the USB caps? Because of the case’s thickness and design, Apple’s caps won’t fit. On the bright side, Speck provides a standard USB cap of its own, and a matching rubber holder for it – when they’re attached to your encased iPod shuffle, the look is complete and truly superb.
But there’s one problem.
Speck doesn’t provide a lanyard cap, and Apple’s won’t attach to the shuffle when it’s inside of Speck’s case. Oops. So unlike the Silicone Jacket, you just can’t wear your shuffle as a necklace when it’s in the SkinTight case. If you can live with this limitation, you’re most likely to be a fan of Speck’s design.
On the bright side, a shuffle inside of SkinTight can still fit into your computer’s USB port, and it’s very easy to access and see the shuffle’s controls. This is true even in the jet black case, which allows the lights to shine through the Skin.
