OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has unveiled his new company Nothing. Not much is known about it yet, but it is already clear that the company wants to release its first ‘smart devices’ in the first half of this year.
The London-based company’s goal is to “remove the barriers between people and technology to create a seamless digital future,” Pei says. “Once it’s advanced enough, it should fade into the background and feel like nothing.”
The company, which raised $7 million in investments in December last year, is therefore planning to come up with smart devices, but Pei has not yet presented concrete product information and plans. In a conversation with The Verge, he refused to explain what exactly these devices are and with which companies Nothing will compete.
He did indicate that the company will release products in multiple categories, eventually creating an ecosystem of devices. Initially, Nothing will focus on simpler product categories, partly because the team behind Nothing is currently being formed. Gradually, Pei wants to focus on more complex products.
Nothing, in its own words, is a consumer technology company and its goal is “to achieve a situation where everything is seamlessly connected.” The company wants to distinguish itself by coming up with products with tailor-made components right from the start. According to Pei, this automatically means that Nothing’s products will not resemble those of competitors too much.
Pei says Nothing wants to get the majority of its revenue from selling hardware, not software, at least in the first phase. Wired wrote at the end of last year that Pei could come up with its own music service and headphones, but the former CEO of OnePlus did not want to confirm that.
Carl Pei left OnePlus in October last year. He founded this smartphone manufacturer together with Pete Lau. In previous reports, it was rumored that there would have been a power struggle within OnePlus and that this was the basis for Pei’s departure. It was also reported at the time that Pei would be setting up his own company.