https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/12/bye-lightning-hello-usb-c/

September 12, 2012, Apple said farewell to its clunky 15-pin connector and brought in a sleek, smooth, reversible 8-pin connector called the Lightning plug. It served the Apple ecosystem well, with a flexible array of power and data transportation options. For Apple fans, it became the One Connector to Rule them All, and omnipresent across all of Apple’s portable devices. Yes, it charged our iPhones and iPads, but the connector also found its way into keyboards, Airpods, the Apple Pen, and many other small peripherals. With its small footprint and ubiquity – everyone had an Apple charger or two kicking around – it became a friend to billions of devices.

However, as devices became more power-hungry, Apple realized that USB-C might be a better bet. As early as 2018, the iPad Pro models switched to USB-C. In 2020, the iPad Air followed suit, followed by the 10th generation iPad in 2022. Apple’s remote for the Apple TV 4K became the next harbinger of the beginning of the end for Lightning, also sporting a USB-C socket.