USB always had it, this isn't just what they came up with for USB-C. Panasonic Toughbooks have that single screw versions and matching gasket countersinking for USBs.
It just works. Proper screws just work. Latches has its own pros and cons, button-less latches like USB are technically even worse. It's just collective memory of cheapest parodies of these for VGAs never working that you have internalized.
Apple would be free to work on "more elegant" common standards instead of trying to force people into their ecosystem by using proprietary garbage, which then has to be forbidden by the EU yet again.
https://www.usb.org/sites/default/files/documents/usb_type-c...