Is there really no way to manufacture thin and light devices with screws instead of glueing parts together? Do standardized connectors also stand in the way of innovation?
Standards, (almost?) by definition, do stand in the way of innovation.
Think about the standard represented by the micro-USB for low voltage charging and data connection.
If we standardized on power connections in 1990, we'd have barrel jacks on many things instead of micro-USB.
For that matter, if we standardized on USB connectors in 1996, our phones might all have giant USB type-B connectors on them. Can't go against the standard, of course.
They evolve but often are still constrained. USB has evolved but it still forced a type-c connector that still has limited adoption in the market. ATX has evolved, but it is still largely the same form factor it was 20 years ago. The more interesting form factors for computers (like intel's NUC) are eschewing the standard form factors.
I think standards are valuable but they definitely can stifle innovation.
A screw and the attendant material to secure that screw into takes up more space than a bit of glue, and—crucially—is more expensive, both in regards to manufacturing and assembly.
