Yeah, but try explaining to your non-technical friend with two monitors why connecting their laptop to both via USB C works, but their phone only gives video output on one.
There are at least 5 ways to transfer video over USB C: Straight USB, HDMI alternate mode, DisplayPort alternate mode, MHL alternate mode, and Thunderbolt. Then it's also possible for an alternate mode to only use a subset of the available lanes, the lane count doesn't match the lanes available in the "real" connector, and the protocols have multiple versions.
Labeling all of that as "USB C" is a massive mistake.
Really? I wasn't aware about the HDMI dongle thing!
But yeah, you're right of course - I'm being pedantic. Yet it still worries me that those are all officially supported as part of the USB C standards. It's confusing even when everyone is following the standards, and it gets even worse when vendors start ignoring them. It's definitely not making it any easier.
Would the situation be better when you'd have to explain why does his monitor have 3 different connection ports but not the 5th one he needs? Or that he's lacking the right converter cables for all different 5 possible types?
"If it fits, it works" is pretty easy to explain. An adapter cable is also easy to explain: it fits, so it will work. With USB C, there are scenarios where you can have an adapter cable and it'll still not work.
If I recall correctly, DVI had three main variants: -I, -A, and -D. A DVI-to-VGA adapter would have a DVI-A plug. The video card would have either DVI-I or DVI-D. If the card had DVI-D, it only offered digital and the DVI-A plug would not physically fit. If the card had DVI-I, it would offer both analog and digital and both DVI-A and DVI-D would fit. So, if it fits it works!
And yeah, the HDMI thing is of course true, I'll give you that. :-)
The pin helped sometimes but there were a few arrangements that fit but did not work. Female DVI to Female VGA adapters existed for going from VGA to DVI-A but this meant you could fit a pinless DVI-D cable and a VGA cable together this way.
There are at least 5 ways to transfer video over USB C: Straight USB, HDMI alternate mode, DisplayPort alternate mode, MHL alternate mode, and Thunderbolt. Then it's also possible for an alternate mode to only use a subset of the available lanes, the lane count doesn't match the lanes available in the "real" connector, and the protocols have multiple versions.
Labeling all of that as "USB C" is a massive mistake.