Protecting the iPod screen

Many people use cases and/or clear screen protectors to protect their iPods or iPhones. I prefer my iPod to be as thin as possible, so I use only a clear screen protector. The one from Pure Gear that I use doesn't seem to have meaningfully diminished the touch screen sensitivity.

Over time, some shallow scratches have appeared on the screen protector, but are only a cosmetic issue. It's possible that those scratches wouldn't even have made any mark on an unprotected iPod's glass screen. One time, before I had put the screen protector on, the iPod fell out of my pocket onto the tar and landed screen down. The screen suffered only a minor scratch, but that put an end to my procrastinating about putting a screen protector on!

After my first iPod failed, I got a replacement iPod. This time, I put the screen protector on a day before dropping it glass-down on the tar. Later, I noticed some scrapes on one of the iPod's metal corners, and some small chipped glass, which can sometimes catch a bit on fabric, but those are very slight annoyances. If such would bother you, you may prefer to also get a full size case that would prevent such damage to the iPod itself.
(3/21/12: Here is a video + text transcript of some extreme testing of the glass on a cellphone when it's covered by a screen protector, versus when it's not so covered. Given the chipped glass I saw in my own unintentional test, I am not surprised by the result of the drop-from-high-up test.)

Another minor issue with using a screen protector instead of a full size case is that when pulling the iPod out of a tight squeeze (e.g., tight pants pockets), the edge of the screen protector may get caught on something and peel away, potentially weakening its power to adhere to the iPod.