Nothing needs cloud to operate.

Cloud is for tracking.

Just to add here. I've added a pi to my non-cloud printer exactly for the features this one promises.

I still wouldn't use somebody's else cloud for them, but they are very useful things.

They have a way to view your printer's camera iirc. Open ports on your router aren't a good solution anymore especially with individual v4s being removed in some residential deployments.

They don't. You can switch to LAN-only mode, or disable the network connection altogether and put gcode on a microSD card and print from that.

Reminder the Bambu works just fine printing from a microSD card without the cloud. No cloud connection is required to set up the printer either.

Because cloud is a feature and features have value.

Analytics in the name of safety.

Because a print can take multiple days, you’re supposed to keep an eye on, and you might want to leave the house.

I think need just happens. Many users don't have computers, or even a tablet.

So the cloud is seen as a requirement, and in the end, no desktop app gets created.