The idea of them.

Curious if people are like me, or even a lot less like me, about them .. ie. just curious, interested and or would adopt the program if it came to a manufacturer of your preferred choice?

That is, you may have a Canikony camera system, but ATM, only Sigma and Tamron have this dock system for tweaking lens parameters and firmwares.
But, if Canikony brought out their own USB connecting lens thingybob .. would you adopt it too?

Do you just accept what the maker sold you and have no interest in making sure the lens focuses johnny-on-the-spot perfect!
Primes are easier, Canon make zooms easier(I reckon Nikon will follow suit soon) .. in camera to tweak focus.
But Sigma and Tamron don't have access to Canikony's proprietary little dark secrets.

So the comment will come fast and furiously that you should stick with manufacturer lenses as they don't have the issues that, like Sigma and Tamron will have .. etc, etc.
Much as I respect that fellow .. I still (respectfully) believe that he may be incorrect with that assessment.

To that I'm expecting some contra discussion, so to be sure that this commentary doesn't enter the discussion, the name .. Nikon! .. comes to mind.
OK .. more specifically Nikon 300PF( diffraction optics thingy-doodle from Nikon) it had major VR issues in the first batch .. lens had to go back to HQ and flash firmware.
Think Nikon! a second time .. bugger .. more specifically 200-500 lenses .. first batches had to be sorted .. I think there was a grumbling from Mongo I heard .. and I'm deaf as a dodo, doornail(whatever that is) and maybe even a dead dodos' doornail .. but I still heard a grumble.

So the comment will come back(persistent that this chap is) Canon don't do Nikon lenses(well they used too but that was wayyy pre USB dock days .. ) .. anyhow Canon don't have issues with lens firmwares is the commentators response about to hit the submit button!

So .. disregarding the aspect that lenses generally don't require lens firmware updates, Sigma has only done two that I know of. The one I got was simply to tweak the focus ability to make it faster if wanted .. not important apparently and it said so. I remember one other but details are vague .. maybe something to do with their OS on one lens, when used on a new camera or something.
Forgetting the fact that lenses generally don't need tweaking all the time ... basically you may tweak it once, a bit of mucking about really not a PITA. You've probably just got the new lens, and will muck about with it a little anyhow, and get a feel for how it works and stuff like that.. why not connect test focus accuracy ... you've probably done it to the lens .. why not be 100% sure with the dock tweaking thing too?

When I got my Sigma 150-600, first things first was set it onto tripod be ultra sure that it's all stable and stuff .. went to the car pulled out Master Gitzo and went for it. Set up the camera in front of the resolution chart. fired shot at 150 and 600 wide open and f/8
Images shocked me with goodness.. so lens went into big padded case .. work then grabbed me by the scruff and didn't let go much.
Then a short while later had to play with tweaking of the different focus settings. I'm curious like that.
Settled on one I liked and that's it. USB dock used barely two or three times. Lens barely used either tho, but that's a work related issue.


So, now that we've established that Canon can also stuff'em up, even tho this issue is a non important lens type issue .. my major beef would be I now need to take lens to a location I probably don't really want to go too(like the CBD!) and leave lens with people I probably don't really like or trust, not have lens for a while repeat transportation process all over again .. it's not enough that they force you to do it first time! then have to deal with those same recalcitrant people in the store AGAIN! ..

needless to say, had Canon had a lens dock thing too, this could save their 50/1.4 customers all that grief.
There are customers that simply refuse self help and like to go to stores and deal with people and have them do all the work.

I know that some anti USB-Lens dock advocates don't like the prospect of having to go to a store in the big smoke to get stuff fixed .. They(like me) would rather be out in the dusty open space of the good old middle of nowhere, not dealing with recalcitrant saledroids.

So I ask again .. are these lens dock thingies an important consideration for lens purchases .. or for the possibility that one day, coming to a lens near you may, be all this grief for a stupid little item that really isn't all that important .. but still needs to be sorted.

As some will know, they are an important consideration for me now.
Strangely the issue now is that it's not so much for the dock thingie itself. I think from my end it's now a bit of a protest to those makers not offering the option.
Remember, the lens dock is not a required accessory, it's an optional one. Don't want .. do as they did on the ark .. two by two style, the olden days ways .. walk it in.
Alternatively when it goes balls up .. u have the dock, you download the firmware in a second or two as it's only 1Mb or less(I think) .. and it's done .. no arks, not droids, no CBDs to worry about .. etc. etc.

curious.