They should've designed a model with open source firmware, written useful technical articles about storage, done PR campaigns, and sold premium versions of said

They should've designed a model with open source firmware, written useful technical articles about storage, done PR campaigns, and sold premium versions of said hardware. I imagine that it would create more good will and be a better business move. They could've even sold their own branded drives on the side and explained why they are objectively better, but still let customers choose.