> If a device expects you to require/want cloud access to the data captured/used with the device, do you feel the same way, that it should be optional?

A device should not expect me to want cloud access.

I’m ok with a device requiring I access its features through my phone, so long as that is made clear in advance. But my phone and the device are usually in the same room - there’s no need for a cloud of any sort to be involved, and there’s certainly no reason I would ever want any of my data uploaded to some company without my explicit permission. And I’d expect most features to work without that permission.