You did get it (bolded above). Mix in the licensing requirements and you fully get it.
And still, the "free PR" cheerleaders spin it as innovative, necessary, etc. The prior proprietary adapter wasn't "clunky" until Apple decided to change it. It wasn't "too big" or "too old" either. In fact, it would have fit the same-sized iPhone 5, iPod and iPad (maxi & mini) just as well as it fit the prior generations. It was just as fast and conceptually offered the added pins for even more future flexibility of functionality.
There is always a business advantage though in developing a new hardware standard and thoroughly locking it down: very high margin profits and lucrative licensing deals as the whole world of loyal buyers must eventually deal with the change (by spending money to change, and a slice of that money flowing to Apple).
I wish Apple would focus their profit maximization efforts on bigger picture stuff: Macs, iDevices, <next big thing that is not either of those>, rather than nickel & dimeing us like this. Of course, there will be XX bashers who tell me how wrong I am... that this change was absolutely necessary... even at their own personal expense of having to make the change with us. Because what matters to us Apple consumers is maximizing Apple's profits in every possible way. Apparently that matters more to some of us than getting good value for our own money.
