In my head i assume they use the weird old style monitors on the ships because they go on expeditions lasting multiple decades without maintenance and it's something to do with longevity.
Bollocks, you couldn't guarantee those things would work with other devices safely, and there was hardly ever two combinations of voltage and connector type the same, so everything came with a new one.
No making you buy a new charger instead of just a cable was by design and a feature not a bug. The change is because the EU has made it clear this kind of thing will be legislated against.