There are many types of metals from which fry pans are made, many shops will tell you a certain fried pan is "the best" there is but it's just like clothes- no one suit is suitable for all possible occasions.
Many times the basic rules are right-
1. A fry pan should have a thick bottom- to disperse heat evenly and cool down slower, yet still comfortable to hold (and not only when empty).
2. A frypan should have walls that are high enough to prevent oil or sauce spilling over yet low and sloping so food can be easily extracted.
3. A fry pan should have a comfortable handle. It should be firm enough to support the pan but not too heavy to hold and it should aim to reduce the amount of heat to which the holding hand is exposed
But what about cast iron skillets? For what they do they are the optimal selection there is and in my opinion no new cover or invention can replace the effect cast iron skillets has on food. It is not meant for fried food but for a deep, strong heat effect for which the cast iron is the best possible material.
Yet the cast iron skillets to not oblige to the rules- it does have a thick base, it is usually thick throughout (it is one of a small selection of fry pans where the bottom and the walls are a single piece) but no one would call a cast iron skillet comfortable to hold.
The walls in the cast iron skillet are in several cases not important- in most cases there is no sauce and in other cases- when cooking slow cooking rice dishes the walls should be exceptionally high and the wall angle steep.
The handle in the cast iron skillet only supports the frypan as it is a cast fry pan- probably most other handles would fall (there are cast iron fry pans with a wooden or stainless steel handle- those are usually screwed on with extremely big screws) the cast iron handles are not comfortable- but worst- they are almost as hot as the fry pan they are part of. The fact the handles can withstand the heat is best in cases when you want to put the entire pan under a grill or in to an oven but this just makes the point.