Nothing, the tech company created by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, has officially announced its first product, the Ear 1, which is coming next month. As the simplistic name likely gives away, this is a pair of earbuds, and that name is intentional. The company says it wants to "let things be what they are", and instead of coming up with unique names, the product should speak for itself.
The company says the name matches the "stripped-down aesthetic" of the product, but it didn"t actually reveal the design of the Ear 1. However, we did see a concept earlier this year that looked somewhat like an earbud, and it"s possible that some elements have been taken from there for the final design.
When Nothing was first introduced to the world, the company said it wanted to create technology that fades into the background and "feels like nothing", but the Ear 1 isn"t quite that. In fact, the company admits to that in its announcement, saying that its vision will take time to deliver, but that this product is the starting point for that. Talking about the design of the Ear 1, Nothing says that it has "notes of transparency, iconic form, and refined functionality", which truly tells us very little about the product.
As to why it"s starting with one of the most commonplace tech products of today to fulfill its vision, Nothing claims that the earbud market has huge potential for growth and a need for differentiation, making it a category where its products can stand out from the crowd. It can also provide the company with a stream of revenue while it prepares to enter other categories.
As mentioned above, the Ear 1 will be launched in June, so we shouldn"t have long to wait to see what it actually looks like, and whether it"s any good.