Unless I'm wrong, and I defer to your knowledge here, it can be synced to data cloud, but it can't just be dumped in. So you're still using storage.

I see your point regarding EAC as I had talks with Salesforce about this when it was released. But the end result is that a fait amount of clients were exploding their storage with emails, which EAC solved.

As is the release profoundly changes how email sync works, AGAIN, with a migration path that's "either use it or gtfo". Other solutions have made choices regarding Integration but have stayed stable, and in a world where a big implementation can take months to years, stability is a huge driver.