PortScope-style peripheral diagnostics

See what your Mac's USB-C ports, cables and docks actually do

Problem

Mac users constantly wonder whether a cable really supports 4K 60Hz, whether a dock is silently draining power, or why an external drive is slow — and they end up swapping cables and ports by trial and error. The author behind this Show HN frames it exactly that way: users want real measurements instead of guesses.

Solution

A macOS menu bar app that enumerates devices on each USB-C / Thunderbolt port, reports negotiated PD profiles, actual link bandwidth and Alt Mode support, then runs a short loopback or throughput test to summarize what this port + cable combo can actually do. Results can be exported as a shareable diagnostic card.

Users

Mac power users, developers and designers who dock laptops daily, and IT support folks who coach colleagues remotely

MVP

Just read IOKit/system report port and peripheral data and present it clearly; show USB speed, PD voltage/current, and whether video output is supported; one-click copyable diagnostic summary; flag docks that appear to be drawing power; no live charts in v1

Revenue

One-time purchase at $9.99–19.99, or a free basic tier with a Pro upgrade for speed tests and exportable reports; later team licenses

Why now

The USB-C ecosystem is a mess of confusing specs, and Apple's built-in System Report is unreadable for most people. A solo developer can call low-level IOKit APIs without a big team