Crazy idea: now you can carry one cable.

I have a feeling that he wasn't carrying the USB-C cable because he expected some kind of guerilla-connector-change suddenly on the iPhone in his pocket, but it is being used with another device.

what if i've got multiple devices that need charging at the same time? like i always do all the time when travelling.

If one breaks, then the other cable can carry both.

if one breaks i go out and buy another. the requirement to charge multiple devices at the same time is still there.

only if you want to charge things one by one ...

Even crazier - outside US its massively easier to find usbc cable compared to lightning. I hope those frequent days when some (usually the same but now always) colleague is running desperately around the office interrupting everybody looking for one will be finally over.

I don't understand this. When traveling internationally I've never had a problem locating a Lightning cable.

Though I have to mention, you shouldn't really shop for cables when you're traveling and need a new one. First stop by the front desk, they usually have a huge pile of charging cables people have left behind.

Anyone who has worked in an office outside of the USA has experienced the annoying iphone user asking everyone for a cable to charge his phone because he lost/broke/forgot it.

And not all the offices are close to a shop selling those kind of things nor do these persons feel they might be better off going shopping for one directly instead of disrupting a non negligible amount of workers.

I don't even know why people have to charge their phone midday and can't wait. Even when I am going out and extending the night until dawn, I usually have battery left until I go to bed.

The cable I carry is a trident cable with USB A on one end (with a tethered a-c adapter) and lighting, micro, and C on the other end.

Can already do that. I have an adapter tethered to the cable.

But if you know you won't need to charge them simultaneously, then you can only carry one cable.

For instance, I'm happy that my new laptop can charge on usb-c, so now I don't need you bring a charger for my switch and a different one for my laptop. I just take the smallest one and charge my laptop and switch with it (but not at the same time). I'm happy to know that I will be able to ditch the lightning cable for my next apple smartphone and only keep a single cable for my three devices.