I got the eMail, saying Otterbox is now accepting preorders on it:
* Want your iPod touch 5g Defender Series case before Christmas? By pre-ordering now and choosing 2-day or next day shipping you'll receive your case for the holidays.
I think I'd rather have the hard polycarbonate plastic on the outside, because it would cushion the device better to have the softer stuff against the iPod, like a helmet. Also ATA flight cases, and Pelican cases work this way. I don't see the utility of having the silicon on the outside, if it's not going to be totally waterproof/submersible. I have the iBlason ArmorBox now, and the silicon on the outside always slipps off, and it's a crazy dust collector. I don't like it. (Okay, it provides some grip, and won't scratch delicate countertops made of balsa wood.)
The rubber on the outside feels prophylactic. It's like throwing a hot dog down a hallway.
I guess I'll wait for the Commuter version, unless I can fine something more hardcore with the hardshell on the outside of the cushy liner, like a guitar case.
A "hardshell" case should have a hard exterior. The iBlason ArmorBox and the OtterBox Defender are beefy, backwards, softshell cases. They feel like you put a cheap silicone cover on your big, fat iPhone from 1982.