Nothing, the new technology company from OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, unveiled Concept 1. It’s a rendering that shows the types of design features the company will use in its next real wireless headphones, its debut product with a launch scheduled for the summer. It was designed by Tom Howard, the company’s head of design who also serves as deputy head of design at Teenage Engineering, Nothing’s partner.
To confuse things, Concept 1 is not something that Nothing really plans to launch and sell. It is not even clear whether it exists as a physical device. “Although the same design principles are followed and there are similarities to Concept 1, the final product will look different,” said a Nothing spokesman in an email to The Verge.
As Nothing describes it, Concept 1 incorporates the three elements that will guide its design philosophy: lightness, absence of effort and timelessness. That’s a lot of meaningless design jargon so close to summer. Why create a design concept for wireless headsets that will be available in just a few months?
Nothing says The Verge that there are concrete clues here about the actual appearance of your headphones. This includes elements such as the lack of “unnecessary branding” and the use of transparent materials. Nothing says that his form is inspired, of all things, in the “pipe of a grandmother”. It also intends to represent the company’s general design philosophy, rather than a specific product, he says. It certainly follows the aesthetics of Teen Engineering with which we are already familiar.
“These are the principles that have guided the design of our product in recent months,” says Nothing. “We look forward to showing you how it comes to life through our first products this summer.”