Your recollection matches mine. I got my first 2nd gen ipod when I was using windows and when it still came bundled with musicmatch (which was worse than any version of itunes). Ecosystem was not a consideration, storage space and ease of use were. The huge screen, clean UI and clickwheel were a major improvement over contemporary mp3 players.

That ipod still works. Every once in a while I charge it and listen to the gentle clicking of its tiny drive.