I have a GMKtec nucbox with an Intel N100 and an M5 Plus.
The biggest issues with them are around firmware and power consumption, especially idle. It's hard to get them as low as some of the bigger vendor devices.
The M5 plus sometimes resets its fTPM and won't boot without user input until that is resolved.
I can get the nucbox to idle around 4-5w and the M5 plus idles closer to 8w.
Most of the BIOS options are hidden or obscured for power saving.
The worst offender though is Beelink which idles at closer to 30w in the GTi14.
Charging Lithium, and converting to motive force in motors are both pretty efficient. (Both >90%).
An ICE vehicle has an upper limit on efficiency that is lower than what a modern fossil fuel plant can reach, and the ICE is less likely to sit at peak efficiency all the time. The world record, set this year was 48%. Previously, it was 41%.
Power plants are much more likely to be kept at or near their peak efficiency and have the space for systems like heat recovery (to recapture waste heat) and emissions controls. For a gas turbine plant, I think the record is ~64% sustained.
I have a mild distrust of some of the cheap IP KVMs. I don't think vendors are malicious, but I don't expect they get it right every time either.
Admittedly, I haven't looked at any open-sourced firmwares either which could have improved things.
I have found the Sispeed USB KVM very useful, the convenience is well worth the $50 it cost me. The UX isn't great but you don't really need it to be. It works (most of the time) via WebUSB for the keyboard mouse.
I'm not sure that the author's perspective that the I/O limits were a direct commercial decision is one I'd agree with.
> Apple could have shipped two 10Gbps ports at no meaningful cost increase and chose not to.
AFAIK, the A18 Pro has limited USB bandwidth as it's designed for a single high-speed port in a phone. So you are always limited by that fact if you use the A18 Pro chip.
The real question will be whether the A19 Pro already has better USB hardware in it with a view to going into a newer Neo. Or whether it actually matters for their price point.
One of the outcomes of COVID was more awareness of post-viral syndromes.