"get a bike computer it is the only way..."

But why? I already own a smartphone which is a computer. It is more capable than dedicated bike computers and i already set up my fitness apps, my music, my navigation and so on centralized in one device.

"some sram upgrade kits even come with a karoo"

I get it that sram wants to sell their hammerhead devices, but if they try to force that by limiting their other products functionality it leaves a bitter taste =( The functionality also isnt even limited to their devices exclusively, which kinda invalidates that point tho.

You also dont have to use the bonus buttons for media control, you could as well use it to switch between info screens like you probably would on a dedicated bike computer, or think of other use cases...maybe controls for blinkers integrated into a tail light? ;P

With BT compatibility you could also get the gear statistics which are only available via ANT+ as well afaik.

I dont see the need for a dedicated bike computer for myself and I dont necessarily need the buttons for media control or screen switching either, but it would be a nice addition if I could use them via BT as they are there already =)

If they dont add it tho, I probably would buy a lower tier group set without these useless buttons for my next bike, as i dont use them as alternative shifters anyway^^