I think the point is that the Garmin devices (whether they be cycling computers or watches or whatever) are gear-agnostic. They don't even have any gear information on them. On the other hand, the Garmin Connect platform provides the option to link an activity to gear -- another point being "gear" in this sense is a generic categorization which you can apply to just about any sort of equipment: bike, wheels, chain, tires, pedals, shoes, etc.