by , 11:00 AM EDT, July 6th, 2004

For the sixth straight year, Apple Computer has taken home another I.D. Magazine Annual Design Review award, this time for its iPod packaging.

Calling Apple's iPod packaging "flawless," "inventive," and "utterly consistent with what we've come to expect," the judges awarded Apple with a 'design distinction' accolade. The judges praised the packaging of the original, white iPod for its "egg-carton" design that slowly reveals the product.

"There's this ballet of unwrapping that is clearly intentional," said one judge. "It prolongs your excitement about finally owning the product."

"If the product is all about music, noise, and overload, the packaging is about beautiful, whispering restraint," said another judge.

Somewhat surprising, the iPod mini did not win an award this year in the consumer products design category. In 2003, Apple won a Design review award for its iPod retail store display. In 2002, it won three awards for the Titanium PowerBook G4, the original iPod and the Apple iBook.

The awards appear in the July/August edition of I.D. Magazine and have not been posted on the magazine's Web site at the time this story was filed.