It won't be patented by Apple. Which is a hindrance to a 'universal' connector design. Of course Apple started patenting its connectors in part to give it a weapon against inferior cable/accessory makers (or so I'm told).
If I remember right, and it started with golf clubs of all things, patents give you a way to stop the import of these items. I figure Apple patents everything anyway.
Perhaps offering a host connector specification, more speed, higher power capability, industry standardization, non-proprietary implementation, and lower cost are some advantages.