Because they want to do a manual backup instead of just iCloud?

Because it was initially designed and delivered that way?

Because they like manually managing music and videos? etc

I think these are pretty obtuse use-cases these days for the vast majority of people. I also manage videos and things but I do it via the cloud like most people. You may disagree with a that but it explains why they went that route - it wasn't a case of them not thinking.

Is wanting to connect to your Macbook to charge your phone an obtuse use case?

At the very least apple should have shipped with a USB-C to lightning cable, not USB-A.

Why? You keep repeating this without ever defending your argument. As of right now, and in the near future, more Mac users have USB-A. There is simply no compelling reason to make this change unless you absolutely need extra features provided uniquely by USB-C. And this device doesn't need anything like that.

The reverse problem (I have lots and lots of USB-A devices, while the only USB-C device in my house is my wife's Android phone, so like almost everyone else I had "no compelling reason" to want a device with any USB-C ports, let alone only USB-C ports) didn't convince Apple to leave one or two USB-A ports in their pro macbooks, unfortunately. That you can't go buy a current macbook and current iphone or ipad and connect the two when you get home unless you buy extra stuff, but you can if you have an older macbook, is silly. It is a point in favor of that "Apple's greatest MacBook Pro yet: the 2015" joke/actually-true-thing, I guess.

Are you trying to manage large videos via the cloud with only a crummy WiFi connection shared with an entire school?

The problem is your WiFi then, not the iPad's design. It's intended to be used with a reasonable network connection.

So I’m sure every school system will get right on that.

As well as every cable ISP that even with their gigabit home internet service caps upload bandwidth at 35Mbps.

I know it's a problem! But I don't think it's Apple's job to forever hold back their development for people's very particular personal problems. You bog a product down by making sure you can handle all these issues. Keep it simple and move on, I say.

You're right, Apple shouldn't produce products that are actually usable for the vast amount of customers in the world as it exists today.

They should also abandon LTE and only produce devices that work with 5G.....

If you can't get reliable WiFi maybe the iPad isn't the product for you? I don't think that's an issue - there's loads of other products on the market and people who do want the clean Apple experience can get that. Why do all products have to do everything and suit the entire world's crazy workflows? You end up with a Homer Car.

And I am sure it makes perfect sense for Apple to seed the entire market of people who have cable internet access and slow WiFi for what exactly?

> for what exactly

For a simpler product for the majority of people.

They can't suit everyone! Are you annoyed you can't connect your iPad to your Amiga as well? They have a draw a reasonable line at some point.

But the "majority" of people in the US in fact have slow internet -- especially upload bandwidth.

As someone that historically relied on an iPad Mini for media consumption on the many weekly flights I take, it is not realistic to download 10+ GB of content directly onto the device. Especially since I don't use Apple's ecosystem of media and generally rely on my own, I find myself using the VLC app to watch content that is loaded via iTunes and its ability to load files as you would any other document app.

The "use case" of connecting your devices to your computer is still alive and well, despite being in the era of cloud.

"alive and well" might be a stretch. I don't know a soul who plugs their devices into their computers. Using VLC to watch media is also a blast from the past. Grandpa, is that you?

I've found VLC to be the only app that can play H.264 .mkv files without stuttering on my poor first-gen iPad Mini :)

I connect my tablet because wifi is too slow when transferring large files.

> Are you developing apps on it? That's a pretty niche use-case.

A niche but extremely important use case, isn't it? Without app developers the platform is dead.

It's a small enough (and dependent-on-Apple) niche that "use an adapter" is something you can tell the developers to do.

App developers aren't likely to switch ecosystems over minor quality of life issues.

Charging, transferring photos and MP3s. Granted many people are using wireless (airdrop, iCloud etc) but not all.

Why ship any cable at all then?

Charging.