Take on the sped-up iTunes option

In general I like all thing Apple, the interface is clean, the
applications easily integrated and the operating system second to none
but there are a number of things which I don't quite understand. One
of these things is the ability to speed up the playspeed of a audio
file. I was listening to a podcast the other day while running and
all of a sudden it sounded like Jacob Goldstein turned into Alvin.
Now we all know he's got a terrible radio voice but having it sped
like he's ODing on crack up doesn't help.
I am all for efficiency but don't quite get the allure of this because
when would you ever want to listen to any recorded track at 1.5x
speed, it's enough to make you want to poke an ice pick in your
eardrum.