The seeming tension between vertical integration and open systems is an interesting question. I think the ideal is to have both tight software-hardware integration and maximum freedom and openness. I really don't see a reason why these two concepts must always be viewed as opposites, especially if you are able to question the underlying legal and economic assumptions that most people start with.
The things that Slashdot users thought about the original iPod are worth reading: https://slashdot.org/story/01/10/23/1816257/Apple-releases-i...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_NOMAD
The seeming tension between vertical integration and open systems is an interesting question. I think the ideal is to have both tight software-hardware integration and maximum freedom and openness. I really don't see a reason why these two concepts must always be viewed as opposites, especially if you are able to question the underlying legal and economic assumptions that most people start with.