Camera docking stations are an invention from a bygone era and were intended to connect compact cameras to computers. When they were popular, many point-and-shoot cameras didn’t come with USB cables which would allow consumers to directly connect their cameras to a computer or other device. Similarly, many times the battery wasn’t removable. So, the dock also served as a charging solution. But as compact cameras got smaller and began to incorporate USB support and removable batteries, the dock became obsolete.