- Nothing, a brand focused on consumer technology, will be based in London
- Nothing will launch its first product line during the first half of this year.
- OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei launched the brand after raising $ 7 million in funding in December.
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OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei on Wednesday revealed the name of his new venture Nothing, a brand focused on consumer technology that will be based in London.
“The mission of nothing is to remove the barriers between people and technology to create a continuous digital future,” said Pei, the CEO of the new brand, in a press release. “We believe that the best technology is beautiful, but natural and intuitive to use. When advanced enough, it should disappear in the background and look like nothing.”
Nothing will launch smart devices in the first half of this year, the statement said.
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The new company raised $ 7 million in funding in December and includes investors like iPod inventor Tony Fadell, YouTuber Casey Neistat, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, and Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, among others.
Pei did not reveal the product line that will be launched or with whom it will compete. But he told The Verge that Nothing is currently focusing on simpler categories as it creates its team that aims to connect multiple product categories.
Nothing plans to profit from selling hardware instead of software subscriptions, according to Pei. However, in the long run, a “healthy business” requires quality hardware and software, he told The Verge.
To stand out in the market, Nothing will use “made-to-measure” components in its products, said Pei. Nothing can focus on music and include making headphones, Wired said in December.
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Pei left OnePlus in October. He launched the Chinese consumer electronics manufacturing company in 2013. OnePlus first sold phones through an invitation-only requirement and then adapted to a new business model that offered affordable and competitive phones. The company also produces other products, such as headphones and TVs.
In 2018, long lines of people waited outside the T-Mobile store in New York City to buy the OnePlus 6T smartphone than there was for new iPhones. The smartphone came with high quality design, specifications and performance for less than $ 600.
Earlier that year, few Android phones gained as much hype as the OnePlus 6 when it launched. OnePlus reported that more than 15,000 people lined up over the phone in 26 cities in 11 countries.