It's not pointless.
On iOS this feature is part of accessibility. So deaf people can activate video calls or know there are new messages. They can't hear, but they can see a LED poking them in the eye.
Personally, I already asked months ago if someone was interested to develop such a feature, but nobody was interested.
It's nice to have it on N9, whether you would use it or not.
It's about improving the phone itself.