I'm no technical genius but it seems to me that it would not be too hard to make iTunes optional. Other mp3 players manage it; the iPod Nano does with a bit of tweaking. Extra effort had to go into making it _not_ work with other software, a deliberate effort to make the device less functional. It's also much harder for 'most people' to do things with the iPod that are easy with other mp3 players, like copying your mp3's onto your mate's computer, or copying mp3s off them without wiping everything else off your iPod. This is a deliberate crippling of a device you pay a premium price for. That's annoying! Also, you have to pay to download stuff from iTunes. That's really annoying!
Cheers, Mike scandalum.wordpress.com