... and I'm unwrapping it as I write.

Lusting for a new plaything, I gave my antique 15gb non-video iPod that originally sold for $399 to my brother, replacing it with a 16gb model for a hundred dollars less. The earlier pod came in a big cubical box with a paper sleeve that slid off two box halves hinged in the middle, and lots of creatively shaped foam inserts to hold accessories. The new one came in a clear plastic enclosure slightly larger than the device, with clear adhesive security seals at the top and bottom of the enclosure and a white plastic sheet wrapped around that.

It was shipped direct from China in a compact corrugated container. Alas, FedEx delivered to the wrong house prompting a quick call to correct the error.

Removing the top seal allowed for the front half of the box to pull away, folding down on the bottom seal as if hinged. A simulated touch-screen display holds the pod atop a plastic pedestal; lifting the pedestal straight up exposed the bottom half of the enclosure, which has the Quick Start guide, product info guide (written in microscopic lettering), the usual Apple decal sheet, earphones, USB to pod cable, and dock adapter.

The info guide is filled with safety pronouncements like "Do not ... puncture, shred, microwave, incinerate ..." and so on, and you can read it for yourself without a magnifying glass. The multi-fold Quck Start told me the merest basics with photos of where I can find things onscreen. Fortunately, I found the real manual at Apple.