Not an Apple fanboy, but the Lighting connector is way better designed than any USB connector, so I wouldn't call it crap. Proprietary, therefore sometimes annoying yes, but definitely not crap. The USB connectors are equally annoying when you try to insert them. With USB type A I always have to inspect the tip of the connector and the plug, and micro USB is always a pain to insert properly leading to connector damage at both the cable and the device ports.

The decision not to include a phone jack in the iPhone 7 was a crappy decision insteaead.

The USB-A/microUSB strawman notwithstanding, USB-C has the capabilities you're talking about (easy to insert, reversible).

Given that USB-C requires roughly the same vertical space as the headphone jack, the one thing lightning has going for it from my perspective is that it works in a phone too thin for a headphone jack.

USB-C didn’t exist when the Lightning connector was introduced.

It did when the iPhone7 was released, and had already been released on quite a few Android phones.

Sure, but having already invested goodwill and money in Lighting, the benefits of switching to USB-C would have to be substantial before it makes sense for Apple to do so. To reality is that for most of Apple's users, USB-C offers no discernible advantage and quite a few disadvantages (having to buy new cables and peripherals again).

>USB-C offers no discernible advantage

Well, besides being able to charge your phone from your laptop charger, use the same USB flash drive in your phone and laptop without an adapter, use the same powered noise-cancelling headphones in your laptop and phone, connect your phone to your projector/monitor/TV using the same adapter as the laptop, and so many more.

So, there are some benefits if you already have other devices that use USB-C. Most people don't however. Not yet. What people do have, is tons of crap that is Lighting compatible.