My wife just got an iPhone Pro Max. The cable was a lightning to USB C cable and the charger has a USB C port only.

I’d bet money Apple will move to USB C iPhones at some point. HN would go crazy considering all the negativity around any Apple announcement.

You could just use a lightning to usb-c Apple-cable instead ... No need for an adapter.

If Apple had provided me the cables to connect the current generation of their two products to each other, I would use them.

The current generation "Pro" line iPhones ship with lightning to USB C cables that connect to the current generation "Pro" line MacBooks.

Read my other comment. They do ship USB C to lightning cables on the newest iPhones.

Things change. I still have FireWire cables and external drive enclosures.

The new AirPods Pro come with lightning to USB-C. If the new phones aren't USB-C, they'll definitely have USB-C to lightning at least. Although realistically it'll be USB-C to USB-C (see iPad Pro)

It seems that Apple's hand-holding doesn't go far enough for some customers :-)

I’m not sure you understand. Shouldn’t the people who want to plug their new iPhone into their new laptop be less inconvenienced when those products are all from Apple, not more inconvenienced? People with modern Thinkpads could use their iPhone out of the box while those with MBPs could not.

If Apple can’t be bothered, what a strange thing to blame me for.

I don't blame anyone. I just find you amusing.

I agree with the ridiculousness of it all, but to be fair, there is no such thing as a 2019 iPhone XS. It's a 2018 iPhone XS regardless of when it was purchased or manufactured, although that honestly just makes your situation even more ridiculous.