Here are the top 3 reason Apple will migrate the iPhone to USB-C.
1) Apple said so:
Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior Vice President of marketing, speaking at the Wall Street Journal Tech Live Event (via TechCrunch(opens in new tab)). Joswiak didn't share any additional details, but confirmed that Apple will be complying with the EU's ruling. However, it seems Apple will be complying with the ruling somewhat begrudgingly.
"We got to a better place which is power adapters with detachable cables. All of them being USB-A or USB-C and you choose the cable which is appropriate for your device." Joswiak said, "That allowed over a billion people to have that (Lightning) connector and to be able to use what they have already and not be disrupted and cause a bunch of e-waste."
G. Joswiak - October 26, 2022
2) The EU is a major market and will not let Apple ship new phones without USB-C
Rule is in effect this year. All iPads use USB-C. All MacBooks use USB-C. The EU now mandates that all new devices introduced this year and sold in the EU must have USB-C chargers.
3) India is a major market and will not let Apple ship new phones without USB-C
Apple is moving iPhone manufacturing into India - this is a good sign that they will serve India well into the future. To do so requires USB-C.