Well, this whole USB thing seems to me to be much ado about nothing.... There really is only one thing that actually NEEDS USB2 speeds (IMO), and that is sample loading.

Everything else, data transfer of registrations, styles, MIDIs etc, the file sizes are so small and USB 1.1 is so fast (theoretically) that it makes practically no difference between the two (if a file loads in 1 sec. using USB 1, would it be any more usable if it came in in .1 sec.? If backup of the entire registration memory takes 30 seconds, who would NEED it to be in 3 sec? How often do you back up? ).

No, the only place that USB2 would make a SIGNIFICANT difference would be sample loading. Files of 32MB or more are the norm for good quality samples, and USB 2's transfer speeds would be very welcome. BUT.... the data transfer from the HD (or whatever storage it's on) is only part of the picture. The speed and size of the data pipeline to the sample RAM is actually the main bottleneck. Even USB1 outperforms most modern samplers in theoretical throughput. Put another way, if most modern keyboards had data pipelines as fast as computers, they would load up close to 50X as fast as they do now with only a USB 1.1 interface.

The new MotifXS has a vastly better data pipeline, and loads up close to 10X faster than a MotifES. But the interface isn't the cause, just the bigger, faster pipeline.

So before we start worrying too much about USB 1 or 2, we need better information about how fast the sample RAM can load. Trust me, it probably STILL won't be much faster than USB 1.1 can deliver. So chill, your USB2 peripherals will still work with it even if it IS USB 1.1.....