wait the old one? Or does this somehow mean USB C in Appleese?

Wait, so they are not even halfway through the transition to USB-C and they launch a new product with the legacy connector? How many cables do they expect us to keep around? I'll wait for AirPod Max S :)

Apple isn't transitioning their handheld lines to USB-C.

Their portable lines — laptops, laptop-sized pro tablet — all use USB-C for charging and peripherals compatibility. Their handheld lines — cell phones, earbuds, headphones, TV remotes — all charge with Lightning.

(The older end of the Beats product lines use Micro USB due to having been an Android ecosystem product prior to Apple's purchase; however, Beats products released this year seem to be Lightning.)

I treat the non-pro iPad as a "handheld" device, and the pro iPad as a "portable" device. There are probably more nuanced words in use at Apple for deciding whether a product gets USB-C or Lightning, but I'm not invested in my choice of words, just in highlighting the distinction between the two categories.

I had no idea this was the case, cheers for the info! I'd just assumed USB C was the new hotness for all things now on

Yet iPad Air 4 is USB-C and arguably "non pro"

One day you might be able to charge your Apple iPhone with your stock Apple Macbook charger cable!

They mean the 8-pin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_(connector) .

It's still used in new Apple products including all iPhones, non-pro iPads, the Apple TV remote, Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, and the charging cases for all AirPods.

Yes, the old one. USB-C is sometimes referred to as Thunderbolt 3 but it's usually kept to USB-C.

USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 are different things. USB-C is a connector defined as part of the USB spec, which was developed in tandem with USB 3.1. TB3 is a different spec, basically an external PCIe interface, that uses the USB-C connector (used to use mini DisplayPort). Typically, TB3 ports are also compatible with USB 3.1, but I don't think that's a requirement.

Thunderbolt 3 is a superset of USB-C, although they do use the same connector. It's a mess.