How many of those 683 dapps use SteemConnect just for authentication? I feel strongly such use should be discouraged for security purposes in favour of a micro transaction based authentication like described here. The description is asyncsteem and Python specific, but the concepts are easy enough to easily integrate in apps using different languages like JavaScript or different python libs like Beem.

As for the transactions that actually do need key bound user authority; SteemConnect is a TTP. Is anyone really happy that in the age where capability secure smart contracts are starting to become a thing, the most promising infrastructure for dapps ends up needing to rely on a cource grained TTP infrastructure? Surely we could find something more 2018 for that if we put our minds to it, right? Have a look at this video and tell me Steemut INC couldn't leverage these types of secure smart contracts into a killer dapp infrastructure that would make SteemConnect feel like something from the Pleistocene.

Yes I know, integrating a real TTP free secure solution will take time, so SteemConnect and microtransactions as an intermediate option untill Steemit Inc sees the (Agoric) light is a logical choiche, but towards the future, a cap secure smart contract based dapp user privilege delegation infrastructure would seem like the path forwards.