The only negative I see with the new Lightning connector is the authentication chip. Apple should be investigated for that. Isn't Apple part of the consortium that set micro USB as the standard connector? That consortium allowed Apple to get by with micro USB adapters. That shouldn't have ever happened.
Going to a smaller size is beneficial for them. It was bound to happen. Apple should have been forced to go with micro USB but who's going to make them? Nobody.
Oh and wall-garden? All of these corporations want to somehow lock you into their walled-garden. Google wants to do it. Microsoft wants to do it. Amazon wants to do it. Facebook wants to do it. Apple wants to do it. Without scrolling back a few pages, I'm pretty sure even you posted about how Samsung wants to try to do that too. But when Apple does it, it's wrong and evil. That right there is hate for hate's sake.
Take a step back. All of these companies want you and/or your money.
And here's Nokia going after Google Talk, the Play Store, and Play Store content on HTC and Viewsonic Android devices in Germany:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/an...ibution-google-play-store-client-germany.html
But most probably won't care because it's not Apple.