The context of his comment is important here. The first iPod could only sync with Macs over Firewire, which only had been included in some Macs for 2 years at that point. There was a strong perception at the time that the iPod was not a standalone product, but a Mac accessory.

Indeed sales were pretty mild till USB and iTunes for Windows were introduced a few years later. Sales didn't really start to pick up till the 4g was introduced in late 2004.[1]

[1]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Ip...