It's 2018, and dongle hell is still awful

It's 2018, and the No. 1 issue I have with the multitude of Apple products I own is not how fast they work or how well they're built: it's the fact that they all come with the wrong connectors. 

This seemed like a temporary problem, or one that could get fixed by throwing money at new peripherals, accessories, and yes, more dongles. But it didn't — it just keeps getting worse. 

Here's a sample of what I'm dealing with. My iPhone X doesn't have a headphone jack, and I keep forgetting the tiny Lightning-to-3.5mm-audio-connector dongle that came with it. Theoretically, everything should be wireless by now, but it's not. Yes, I have a pair of wireless headphones, but my best headphones are a wire-only model. In fact, I constantly deal with gadgets that don't support the Lightning connector or any sort of wireless connection. My old Denon receiver. My 2008 Ford Focus. A pair of old Logitech speakers in a homemade gym that I share with some friends.  Read more...