I've noticed a small gap between the point the USB port starts (metal part) and the external surface of the laptop or PC. You can clearly see it in the picture. 
. Thanks
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This is an interesting question. I feel like the inverse would be unsightly. It could simply be a matter of aesthetic, but I could also see metal sticking out of a machine being somewhat hazardous, both towards the hands of the one holding the device and to the solder point keeping the port on the circuit board.– invotCommented Mar 12, 2019 at 15:40
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I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it doesn't affect the user experience. Moreover, it's very hard to determine if it is a universal phenomenon or it is there due to a manufacturing practice– Shreyas TripathyCommented Mar 13, 2019 at 6:59
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1 Answer
That gap you are seeing is the thickness of the plastic body clamshell which surrounds the laptop. There is a hole in this shell to allow access to the USB port. USB ports are called jellybean parts and are very standardized. The USB standard is very strict for how these connectors look and function to help standardize the connector and allow company A's plugs to fit into and work with company B's ports (go here and click on USB 2.0 Specification to see how specific it is). These ports generally look like the picture below and are unsightly as they were designed with basic function first in mind. Notice that the front edges have flaps that help a plug be guided into the port.
Some companies like Razer and Apple spent money to create their own ports.
Apple's Mac Pro (2009)
Razer spent $380,000 to create their custom USB port.
So generally it's cheaper for companies to use these common off-the-shelf jellybean USB ports with the flaps. Since these flaps aren't nice to look at, they tend to tuck them behind the plastic rather than leave them out and exposed. Also, during assembly, it's easier to align the circuit board (in this case computer motherboard) with the port being flush against the shell as opposed to having to guide the ports into the holes when inserting the circuit board.
