This isn't an answer, and in fact, supports the opposite of your point :)
It would have been just as easy to use micro-usb 3.0, which had plenty of bandwidth, and do the exact same pin or format conversions.
Standardized serial buses that are less complicated already existed. What exactly do you think USB 3.0 is?
If the only reason for lighting was "a general purpose next generation serial format", then it is definitely a horrible idea.
Of course, none of this (except DRM concerns) answers why they'd not bitstream the format and convert it to HDMI signaling instead of doing the weird crap they did here.
It would have been just as easy to use micro-usb 3.0, which had plenty of bandwidth, and do the exact same pin or format conversions.
Standardized serial buses that are less complicated already existed. What exactly do you think USB 3.0 is?
If the only reason for lighting was "a general purpose next generation serial format", then it is definitely a horrible idea.
Of course, none of this (except DRM concerns) answers why they'd not bitstream the format and convert it to HDMI signaling instead of doing the weird crap they did here.