It was a moat for Apple's iPod. I don't know why you're particularly invested in denying it. I don't think Apple treated it as a strategic priority, but it was

It was a moat for Apple's iPod. I don't know why you're particularly invested in denying it. I don't think Apple treated it as a strategic priority, but it was definitely a thing at the time; if you went down the iTunes route, you pretty much had to use an Apple portable media player. The alternative was MP3s and the freedom to choose any player you like, including iPod.