This is a really baffling decision from Apple - normally they're very good about having tightly integrated ecosystems where everything just 'works' with everything else. That's kinda the entire value proposition in my eyes.
As a long time Apple user (since the 90's), I feel like this hasn't been true in a while. The number one exhibit is the dongle-hell they've been putting their customers through for the last 5 years. I have a watch, phone, headphones, a computer, and a tablet by Apple. All were made in the last two years. I have to carry a handful of different cables and power adapters if I want to charge them all. It's a huge pain in the ass and is FAR from the definition of "just works".
[0] https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MHXF3AM/A/magsafe-duo-cha...
1. As evidenced by Apple's internal arguments against iMessage on Android during the Epic hearings
Now if we go backwards to the old MagSafe era I had to carry a power solution just for the MBP alone. If I wanted to use it as the power hub (could also do the same above) I could carry a usba->lightening (assuming all the other devices were still lightening), and usba->watch. But what normally happened is I also brought additional charge bricks.
I just don't see how 5 years ago was radically better than today. A couple devices still have lightening on one end /shrug. A cable with usbc on the other mostly hides that for now.
They've made a billion dollar market for dongles, imo unnecessarily.