Thanks to everyone who has contributed, the posts have been very informative.
I have been used to the minimal maintenance required by my previous rigid bike. It seems now (like so much these days) that everything is becoming disposable and I just have to accept that now my forks will wear out relatively quickly even with care being taken to keep them clean, and I won't be getting 20 years of life out of them whatever I do.
The point about the stanchions being steel rather than aluminium is a good point (though it seems strange on a more expensive fork to make a part subject to mechanical wear out of a material as soft as Al). Sometimes the more you pay for something, the more of a pain in the ass it becomes. I think I am happier with my steel stanchions than I would be with $1000 forks with Al ones.
So what will I be doing? Pretty much what I was - which is that I will wipe the stanchions and seals clean with a silicon spray lube, then pump the forks a few times to raise any dirt up the stanchions from the seals, wipe clean again, and leave the stanchions with a wiped on coat of the silicon lube (wiped on to keep it thin and prevent any falling onto the brake disc).