> The I/O is also a genuine limitation: one USB 2.0 port is functionally useless for data transfer, no Thunderbolt means no fast external storage, and charging occupies your only USB 3 port.

You're supposed to use the USB-2 port for charging and save the USB-3 port for external accessories, not the other way around

It only supports 10Gb/s compared to 40 that USB-4 is theoretically capable of, but that's more than enough for anyone in the $600 laptop market.

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washingupliquid an hour ago | parent | next [-]

Apple should appoint you as PR chief so you can explain to users that the two visually identical and unlabeled ports next to each other are different, because labeling is ugly and only for PCs, and they're stupid for not realizing it.

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coder543 an hour ago | parent | next [-]

The computer pops up a warning if you plug a fast device into the slow port, which is a lot more informative for the average user than a tiny label that most users wouldn’t even read.

Labels would be nice, I guess, but their absence is hardly a dealbreaker.

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retired an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

You get a message on screen that you should be using the other port.

But yes, labeling should have been better. One of the USPs of MacBooks is that all USB ports are the same. Unlike other computers where you have to look where you are plugging it in. The Neo breaks that tradition.

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_aavaa_ an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Do you think those same users know the difference between usb3, usb4, and thunderbolt (or even that all three exist)? More over, do you think they know how to tell cables apart for the three?

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washingupliquid an hour ago | parent [-]

$150 netbooks solved this by labeling the ports "SS" or using blue USB-A inserts, but those are matters inferior PC users have to deal with.

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fredoliveira an hour ago | parent | next [-]

I legitimately have no idea what "SS" means next to a port, and I've seen it plenty of times. Labeling doesn't solve everything. The message on screen that you get when you plug something into the wrong port on the Neo is, obviously, much better because it assumes nothing about the user's knowledge except for the ability to read.

	▲	stodor89 6 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		> I legitimately have no idea what "SS" means next to a port surströmming
	▲	auguzanellato 37 minutes ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		> it assumes nothing about the user's knowledge except for the ability to read. Sometimes I question whether some users have that ability
	▲	madars an hour ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		USB 3.0 was marketed as SuperSpeed USB. SS-marked ports should give you 5Gbit/s, compared to 480 Mbps USB 2.0.

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rco8786 an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I feel confident in saying that I am better at computers than 99.99% of the general population and I have no clue what “SS” or blue USB ports are supposed to indicate.

	▲	washingupliquid an hour ago \| parent [-]
		The USB 3.0 spec was called "SuperSpeed". The "SS" and blue connector inserts are recommended in the spec to denote 3.0-capable ports. Apple never followed the spec recommendation because colors and labeling are ugly and for dumb PC users. Maybe you should reassess your confidence.

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Schiendelman an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

"Solved" - hardly. No one knows what those symbols mean.

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wlesieutre an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Apple should show users an alert when they plug a USB-3 device into the USB-2 port because they are visually identical

Oh wait https://i.imgur.com/7HWgxZ1.png

I don't know the details of Apple's silicon designs, but I assume the USB port bandwidth is because this is using the chip from iPhone 16 Pro, a phone which of course had a single USB-3 port. They've done what they can with it to hit the price point.

The alternative was to not include a second USB port for charging, in which case people would be bitching about it not being able to use peripherals while charging like the last time they made a single port laptop.

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15 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

[deleted]

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zitterbewegung 30 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Sometimes on HN while this is technically correct I wonder if Mac users will truly notice. This is probably a limitation of the A19 chip. Many people just see the price tag and buy.

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chocochunks an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Yeah, but that USB 3 port has to do a lot of heavy lifting. It 's also the only video out port making decent dongles a necessity. On a $600 PC it's not uncommon to have USB A (at 3.0 speeds), HDMI in addition to USB C and maybe even Ethernet.

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storus 41 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Both 10Gb/s and 8GB RAM limit come from iPhone 16 Pro chip limitations used in Neo. Next year's should have 12GB of RAM.

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stirlo an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

It’s a bizarre take.

It’s not functionally useless, it supports a mouse, keyboard, printer or even an iPhone (non pro) perfectly fine at full speed. It also probably has enough speed for the average cheap terrible quality USB drive that the buyer of a $600 PC might have.

This is a Silicon Valley tech geek take not a real world one.

	▲	retired an hour ago \| parent [-]
		The assortment of cheap USB sticks I have do not surpass 400mbit/sec. Not even the ones labeled USB3.0 or High Speed.