Apple Inc, one of the Big Five infotech companies in the world, was as of May 2022, the largest technology company by revenue, having totalled 365.8 billion US dollars in revenue in 2021.
It holds the record of being the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer, with its smartphone market actively driving the revenue push.
The iPhone is by far the most popular Apple’s electronic product, and the American multinational technology company has continue to update newer versions of the iPhone, tweaking some functionalities in the process but the updates appear to be getting boring: the new iPhone 14 should ideally get lovers of iPhone excited but that do not appear to be the case as it hardly sets the heart a fluttering like other did.
The iPhone is still on the throne but that is about to change soon with the emergence of a new-ish company known as Nothing.
You may ask, what is Nothing?
Well, ‘Nothing’ is a London-based consumer technology company founded by Carl Pei, a Swedish entrepreneur, with notable investors like iPod inventor Tony Fadell, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, and YouTuber Casey Neistat. Swedish consumer electronics company and manufacturer, Teenage Engineering is one of its founding partners, and is mainly responsible for the brand’s design aesthetic and its products.
After the announcement of its first product on July 27, 2021, the “ear (1)”, a wireless headphone, the company has continued to churn out new products that seeks to break the seemingly Apple monopoly.
The ear 1, priced at $99 was greeted with mixed feelings, culminating from its review but majority of the gadget loving populace agreed that their radical, transparent design was a thing of beauty. The sales spiralled, with ‘Nothing reaching about 100, 000 sales within the first two months
With the company’s mission statement being: “No confusing tech-speak. No silly product names. Just artistry, passion and trust. And products we’re proud to share with our friends and family. Simple. Because beautiful tech shouldn’t be complicated”, it was seen as a propeller for greater things and hence came the “Nothing Phone”.
Nothing in March announced the impending release of its first smartphone, and following an intense hype and build-up, the device was opened for pre-order on the 24 of June.
The ‘Phone 1’ by Nothing just like the earbuds has a very transparent look that stands it out from the crowd, with the excitement of its full functionality rocking the psyche of users, culminating in tons of people signing up for pre-orders, and in the process requiring a non-refundable deposit of £20.
Though the ‘Phone 1’ will be available for now in only Europe, the UK, Japan and India for now – not North America, but just after two days, its pre-orders exceeded 100,000 and it has even spiralled to over 175,000.
The official launch of the Nothing Phone is expected to take place on 12 July at 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm BST, with an online event that is poised to reveal more in the offing.
Although there are alleged leaks on the phone specs, with palpable exhilaration evident from the populace but aside the global hype, Apple should be on its toes.
The Prospective fall of the iPhone monopoly
A lot of people are excited on the launch of this new phone and it has been a while such eagerness has greeted the imminent launch of a smartphone. Apple Inc will now be availed with the reality of it being a threat to the iPhone popularity and continued acceptance.
Unlike other anticipatory launch where people are largely excited about the number of megapixels in the camera, or cores in the processor, this time it is more than just that. It is the realization that Nothing is reimagining what a phone looks and feels like, a trait only few brands have even attempted in a decade.
The iPhone having maintained its popularity for long for being a fashion item, instead of the utilitarian tech device new products are, with its fashion status has remained unchallenged for the past decade, Apple has continued to up the price of its premium phones due to its uncontested dominance.
But that is about to change if we are to take the hype around this ‘Nothing Phone’ into cognizance, with the company’s mission statement packed with the kind of passion Apple’s founder, Steve Jobs was known for, and used to inspire in others.
It says: “You can feel something is wrong with tech,” they insist, and urge you to: “Undo. Unfollow. And unlearn everything the industry has taught you. It changes now. With Phone (1).”
If the hype at the end of the day gets justified, it means Nothing has opened the door to a new future, not only allowing phone makers to slavishly ape Apple, but to play them at their own game when it comes to visual design, hype and raw passion.
Ayoola Faseyi, an Abuja based Journalist with interest in Technology and Politics. He is a versatile writer with articles in many renowned News Journals.He is the Co-Founder of media brand, The Vent Republic.
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