This is entirely subjective. Personally, I’ve never been bothered by the different port type. I’ve also never really known it to be a problem for friends and family.
That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t prefer USB-C for the iPhone. Just that for me it’s not been “clearly detrimental.”
What's positive about having to buy different cables, chargers and converters every year for your phones, cameras, laptops and whatnot? Maybe you're just used to it, but if you truly think about what it means and the implications of doing this at-scale, I seriously doubt there's any benefit to it.
I don’t think it’s some great positive, but I also don’t think it is “clearly detrimental” to the user experience, either.
> Case closed, apologist anecdata will not be considered.
Not sure this is your call to make?
Let me break it down for you, case-by-case:
> Apple has the opportunity to standardize all of their devices under one serial/power connector
This is objectively true. Apple helped design the USB-C standard to replace the ports on their own devices, and demonstrated this intent on the Macbook and later, the iPad.
> they have neglected to do this for over a decade
This is also true. While USB-C isn't a decade old, USB 3.0 is, and Apple has refused to update Lightning cables to reflect the newer standards in serial transfer technology.
> it overtly effects the user experience.
This is, undeniably and objectively, true. USB 2.0 is extremely slow - to the point that most users resort to slow wireless transfers to avoid an even slower wired one. Apple can fix this. They don't even need to get rid of USB-C to do this, but by switching to USB-C they will no longer have a choice. They had their opportunity to play fair, now they have to play by the rules instead. I'm closing the case because the EU has done so as well. Apple is negligent here, regardless of how Apple, their customers or other bystanders feel.
The only shame here is that companies consistently chose lock-in over open standards, even when it's clearly detrimental to the user's experience and the environment.
If the "adults in the room" can't figure it out (out of greed), it's fair game for governments to step in and make a choice for everybody. That's what a government should do: create clarity and accountability where there is none.
This idea that we need dedicated connectors for every little piece of hardware we own is simply not sustainable.