Take a entry level DC like the Sunnto Gekko. A feature on this computer is for altitude diving. How many entry level divers do you know that dive at altitude? How many divers do you know dive at altitude? Of course there is a space crowding icon on the screen to let me know it's setting. I don't care if this option increases the cost of the product 1%, although I suspect it's actually substantially more, I don't need it and could opt out of most of this crap.
The reason manufactures include these features is so the product can marketed at a higher profit margin.
Well, a lot of divers dive at altitude, particularly entry level divers who live at altitude, away from the ocean and train in lakes, rivers, or quarries.
But the point is that features like altitude compensation (and most of the other features the original poster doesn't want, like logbooks, planners, and multi-gas/ nitrox capability) add nothing- zero- to the manufacturing cost, and
some divers want or need them. There is an initial cost to develop the software, which could be more or less depending on the complexity of the computer, but once that's done the ones and zeros are free, and add nothing to the manufacturing cost of each dive computer. In contrast, air integration, particularly hoseless, has a significant hardware cost tied to each unit.
Unfortunately, too little attention is often paid to good interface design, and these additional features are allowed to clutter and make the user's experience confusing by filling it with things they don't use. I see that as an interface design problem rather than a too many feature problem.
The reason manufacturer's include these features is that their customers ask for them, and while divers will often chose to
not buy a product that lacks a feature they want, they will rarely turn away from a product because it has too many features.
