The reason Apple came out with non-directional connectors is because their users are too stupid to pay attention to how something goes in. But that's their mantra: don't let the user choose anything, and charge them extra to choose for them.
Do you really mean this? I would be ecstatic if all connectors were non-directional. Do you really think that improving something means their user base is dumb? What about the magnetic power connectors? Since when did innovation become a bad thing? 
If you have something against them as a company, that's fine, but I can hardly agree that this change is in any way related.
Hoffman, I have to admit I was like 20% kidding. Going a little over the top to make a point. Calling the users stupid was a little unfair. Untrue for some. I've seen enough of you to be sure that you are that part that is not stupid.
Multi-connectors would be great, IF they were the industry standard (micro USB). But Apple, and Sony often come up with Shiny Pretty Things that buck industry standards and are overly expensive, and then refuse to open them up. There have been a few exceptions (FW and SCSI maybe), but mostly they just want to control, control, control.
Apple tends to make design decisions that keep the user locked into a certain UI/workflow. "You don't need to do that" my mother has been told at the Apple store. That's why there's a huge market for utilities that get around the default Apple UI/preferences. While they often do have good design at the same time it offers very little in the realm of flexibility for the user, which negates their design.
Some of their decisions are madness for IT people. For example: It's like they are saying, "You don't need to know error codes. If it crashed, it crashed. Get over it. If it won't do that, you don't need to do that." Also, for ages if you deleted an account in Mail it also deleted every email ever received or sent with that account. When I asked a friend who is an Apple engineer (though not on that team) about it, he said "That's just what they decided. Might as well get used to it."
I much prefer having too much choice than too little. I don't need someone to tell me I don't need a touch screen, pen input, or to change the battery in my laptop on a transcon flight. (BTW, I also don't like someone telling me I can't buy a large Coke or how much salt to put in my food, but that's another thread I guess).
Linux and pretty much every Windows version in recent memory has given the power user the power to do and change what they want. Especially if you can sudo or regedit. If not, you can google and download a batch file or script to do it for you.
