I haven’t used a USB-C device, so I can’t comment on the feel, but other than the feel, what other benefits does Lightning have? I’d rather one cable to rule them all and one type of power adaptor.
Lightning will never be "one cable to rule them all." Why? It's proprietary, with relatively high licensing fees.
If that is important to you, USB-C has a much better chance of getting near that target. Why? Because everyone else (and Apple too on the other Apple products) are embracing it in any Lightning vs. USB-C decision-making.
Lightning will be ridden until Apple "thinners" it out of existence... possibly replaced by Lightning 2 or Lightning Mini because proprietary is more profitable than embracing an industry standard.
Most of this crowd will crown Lightning king in
this contest because Apple endorses Lightning now. If Apple switched to USB-C or back to Firewire or USB-A, this crowd would move right with them (note how much love we see for Apple's proprietary 30-pin connector these days). Whatever Apple pushes now is what "we" push. And when Apple pushes one thing- like Lightning- in one product line but USB-C in another line of products, it makes perfect sense to favor Lightning where Apple has chosen IT as the ONE and favor the alternative where Apple has chosen IT as the ONE... just as it makes perfect sense to jettison the headphone jack from this ONE Apple product but keep it in everything else Apple makes. Apple is never dumb for either- only fellow consumers are dumb for not liking it where Apple has it and not hating it where Apple has removed it.
Even Apple themselves has rolled out multiple generations of other Apple products choosing USB-C over Lightning. How many Macs have Lightning? Even the most expensive ones? Even the build-to-order ones? Even iMac Pros starting at $5K? If Apple doesn't push it in their own (other) products, how can it have any chance of becoming "one cable to rule them all?" We've seen this play out over and over before. The "weird" (proprietary) Apple connector- whatever it was in era after era- never becomes ubiquitous beyond the Apple bubble at it's very best... certainly far from "one cable to rule them all." Lightning will be no different... unless you can define "all" to be entirely within an Apple bubble... and that bubble being only Apple mobile devices, excluding Apple's own computers.
Personally, I would rather a new iPhone roll out with USB-C. And I wish Apple would put a headphone jack back IN iPhone too. USB-C would significantly simplify digital wired connections by unifying around a single new, industry-standard jack. Headphone jack is the
most ubiquitous audio jack in the world and it going back in would have ZERO effect on those who favor Bluetooth or Lightning (it did not have to go to make either of those work- they ALREADY worked while iPhone still had a headphone jack). IMO- dongles are stupid/hassle/aggravating... especially when the key pieces of hardware (DSP) are still INSIDE iPhones so they can still work as a phone. And Apple still opts to build that jack in everything else, so most of our spin slung at each other seems to not be Apple's spin.
Anybody dare call Apple stupid for putting a headphone jack in every other Apple product? No, just I'll be stupid for wishing it would also be available in iPhone. Anybody dare call Apple stupid for not having Lightning jacks in all Macs? Of course not. It makes perfect sense for Macs to NOT have Lightning but Apple mobile devices to have it. "99.9% of customers don't mind dongles. In fact, we love them" and would welcome more features being jettisoned out to dongles: collect them all!
