In my opinion, it is better at actually being a plug and charging than USB-C is, and is more robust. (I prefer USB-C to be abundantly clear.) But that's kinda beside the point. Apple got a lot of negative press for the 30 PIN to Lightening change. So much bad press that when Apple switched to USB-C, my local paper's headline was "
Apple is Changing Cables Again. This Time It's Good." They were also attacked for not just going with Micro-USB. And Lightening was CLEARLY better than both.
In my opinion, for the vast, vast, vast majority of users who do nothing but plug their phone into charge, and maybe use CarPlay, USB-C is not really an improvement. For me and you, it clearly is, but for my Mother-in-law and my wife? It's an annoyance to have to get all new cables. In fact, my Mother In Law refuses to upgrade her phone BECAUSE it had a new cable. While nerds like us appreciate USB-C for its ubiquitous nature and advantages, a lot of normal users don't care. So it makes sense to me that Apple took its time, and did it a lot more slowly than people who post on tech forums would have preferred.