Updates for our system cameras

That's probably pretty accurate. When you are working professionally you need reliable tools that you know how to get the best out of. Many professional photographers are still using what would be considered older gear, simply because they know them inside out and they get the results they need from them.

I really like Pentax gear, but I also acknowledge that they are not as capable as I'd like in some areas. This site is called Pentax User, not Pentax Lover. That's probably a whole other site altogether. I think it's healthy to keep an eye on what else is going on in the camera industry, if for no other reason than to reassure yourself that your Pentax gear is still a great value proposition. Living with the blinkers on, discussing only with similar minded people in isolated forums isn't necessarily a well rounded approach to photography.

As you say Steve, it's about matching the strengths to your requirements, and this even applies to models by a particular manufacturer. I liked the K-30 camera vs the K-5 because I was prepared to do without some of the differences, and liked that the strengths were aligned to my must have capabilities. EG the image quality was pretty good and I wouldn't be buying/needing a grip for example. I was happy to pick the K-30 because the lower price was what I could afford, and I didn't feel I was missing out on aspects that were important to me. In comparison with out brand offerings at the time, and for my available budget, Pentax was a clear winner.

Fuji and others are doing impressive things with their firmware policies. Yes they are correcting some faults present at initial release, just like Pentax does, but they're also offering the latest software developments to some pretty old but still capable models too. That's impressive and good on them. I bet their customers value this approach.

Panasonic have an option to upgrade the video quality on select cameras. This is a professional level upgrade, so it comes with a cost, but adds V Log capabilities. I don't mind this approach, as not everyone has to pay for it if they don't want it, which is a common discussion point.

Sony lets you run some apps from inside the camera. All devices these days are a processor, some memory and some hardware, so I guess this approach is valid. It's not as seamlessly integrated as say the standard HDR function on our Pentax cameras, but it's an alternative delivery option. Some apps are free, others you have to pay for.

Pentax wise, better abilities at smart tracking autofocus, and better video capabilities are the two common standout areas for future development to me. Some of these may be able to be addressed within the camera software too. Overall firmware wise they could do a bit better for sure. I'd like to feel supported as a customer of a brand, beyond the initial purchase transaction and firmware updates are part of this. I was involved with the K-30 Aperture failure issue, and whilst mine was replaced just inside the warranty period, I know many who weren't so lucky. That's probably tainted my views on Pentax's aftermarket support though.

Anyhow, think I'm just trying to say that the topic of "Updates for our system cameras" is worthy of discussion

That's an area that mirrorless cameras excel in

That was just one example, I suspect it breaks down when one considers accessories such as ring flashes and other gizmos. I'm not sure, though, how one gets proper TTL viewing with a mirrorless camera though? I can't see that will work as at best it has to be a laggy VDU.
You'll appreciate I'm not convinced with that suggestion! The only obvious mirrorless K-1 FF alternatives I can think of are the Sony's. I could have got one of those quite some time before the K-1 came out if I had thought that was a sensible idea. I did consider it... and discounted it!

Nothing bad meant by it

Re viewing on a mirrorless camera, remember you're seeing exactly what the sensor is seeing, so it's as close to what you're gonna get as you can get.
EVF provides for focus peaking and digital zoom right in the viewfinder, so by all accounts a manual focus lens is easier to use on a mirrorless than via an optical viewfinder. These aids continue to work / be available if desired during video capture also

TiVo in NZ is going through that right now. The service that provides the EPG data is stopping in late October, so whilst we own the box, it's about to become very dumb and close to useless shortly, without the data that provides it it's smarts to series link or even know what the name of the program it's showing/recording is etc.

It used to be like that back in the 70s & 80s. Quite a few makers used the K mount besides Pentax; Chinon, Ricoh (almost - that dreaded pin) and Practica come to mind at this late hour, so it was quite feasible to have compatible bodies and lenses with quite a variation of badges on them. I nearly bought a Ricoh but the dealer couldn't get the metering to work.

As to the mirrorless EVF's, its not the same as SLR TTL so horses for courses. My experience of EVFs so far has not been favourable though no doubt they are improving.