You mean like when everyone moved from mini-USB to USB-C? It's also good to remember that lightning connectors are USB2 in a different form factor - outdated and slow.
This situation is different. Apple and others are completely unable to upgrade to USB-D when it comes around.
Like a lot of Apple and huge company stuff in general, it's a flimsy reason to change something and introduce many limitations the huge company thinks will make them more money. It sure as hell is not about reversible connectors.
But please, reference a USB2 or USB3 standard over a type A connection that enables fast charging too. This will be fun.
And Lightning has been charging my iPhones pretty fast
"Many different standards" means "no standard".
> that apple just ignored.
Apple ignored them because none of them were standards until very, very late
USB Power Delivery 1 was a disaster, launched years after Apple had moved beyond 7.5W charging. Android phones typically also ignored it, using Qualcomm's proprietary charging tech.
If you want fast charging, use the bundled USB-C cable to charge your iPhone rather than the USB-A ones from years ago.
To flip it around, what advantage do you think one gets with official Apple iPhone chargers? Do you know of any evidence that Apple promotes their chargers working better than others? And if none exists, why would they sabotage customers who were never educated that hypothetically only Apple chargers charge fast?
So not fast charging, charging at all. They work on some of the iPads, so they do work.
Why do the phones refuse to charge then? Not fast charging, which I can sort of understand, charging at all.