They have been "forced" by EU (yay, fxck non standard connectors) but in the article seems like Apple made this choice to "upgrade" the functionalities of their products...
I have four USB C ports on my 2016 MacBook Pro, which also charges via USB C.
Hasn't the iPad Pro also used USB C since 2018? I think the iPhone and a few accessories like keyboards and trackpads are the last gasp of Lightning (which admittedly was a pretty effective replacement for the 30-pin dock connector that Apple used from 2003-2012.)
Though personally I'm surprised that Apple didn't decide to dodge the EU ruling by welding a USB C dongle to every EU iPhone. ;-)
Hasn't the iPad Pro also used USB C since 2018? I think the iPhone and a few accessories like keyboards and trackpads are the last gasp of Lightning (which admittedly was a pretty effective replacement for the 30-pin dock connector that Apple used from 2003-2012.)
Though personally I'm surprised that Apple didn't decide to dodge the EU ruling by welding a USB C dongle to every EU iPhone. ;-)