They released lightning about 3 years before the first USB-C phones, so they could have worked with the standard, delay the connector switch a bit, and use USB-C. They could even have released the first USB-C phone if they're so keen on being "innovative".
That would have save their users from 10 years of incompatible connectors.
But Apple never cared about standards, on the contrary they choose lock-in over standards whenever they can.