If I had to use a micro-USB charger to charge my iPhone, I would die a little inside every time I plugged it in. Every single USB connector ever is a PITA to plug in. The Lightning connector on my iPhone is amazing. I can plug it in purely by feel, in my dark bedroom after turning out the lights. I dare you to try that with a USB connector. And the damn thing feels really sturdy too. I have no problem picking up my iPhone by the cable (not that I do this regularly), but I would never trust a USB connector to keep my iPhone from falling to the floor.
Im just saying for me pretty-good-and-completely-ubiquitous beats sublime-design-but-have-to-worry-about-having-the-right-cable. It is indeed easier to plug in the Lightning phone charger in pitch black darkness. But I haven't needed to do that yet in 2013.
What I have needed to do is ask a bunch of people if they happened to have an iPhone cable -- oh no, sorry, not that one, I mean the newer one, thanks anyway... no? nobody? Ok fuck it I guess I will just turn off my phone to save that last 3% for an emergency.
That wouldn't happen if I just needed a standard micro-USB cable that pretty much every non-Apple device now uses.
Not surprisingly, I guess, I don't think is was a misstep; one of the reasons I love the Mophie cases is because they add a normal, standard port to the iPhone.
These are trivial to plug in purely by feel in the dark.
And as a bonus, they charge many of my devices! I "die a little inside" every time I have to use a special cable for an iDevice (or a Samsung tablet!)
Interesting that you consider it an advantage to have a connection sturdy enough to pick up the device by the cable. You probably don't care much for magsafe adapters...
