What you need to know
- Carl Pei publicly challenged Apple, saying that Nothing plans to convert “bored” iPhone users once.
- Nothing that claims that modern smartphones have become repetitive and uninspired continues to pose as an anti-Apple brand.
- The planned expansion through Best Buy could give the brand a stronger presence in the US and introduce more consumers to its products.
Carl Pei, the founder of Nothing, just looked at his Instagram camera and declared war on Cupertino. His end, very dramatic social media stuntPei said: “This is a message apple. My name is Karl. I make phones in London. I will steal your customers. Once a bored iPhone user.”
This is peak Pei, but the heart of his message boils down to very real feelings. Pei has been aggressive from the start, positioning Nothing as the ultimate anti-Apple brand. He thinks the smartphone business is flat, arguing that Apple lost its creative spark years ago and that modern glass slabs have become too repetitive.
Instead, this company builds the safe, predictable phones your parents use, and mixes eye-catching transparent hardware designs with heavily customized, deeply stylized software to breathe some life into the market. This is a classic David and Goliath playbook.
That said, nothing is still a relatively minor blow on the global radar Compared to the huge volumes that Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi and OPPO move on a daily basis. It’s always easier to double your market share when you start from scratch.
If Pei really wants to steal those bored iPhone owners, he needs to meet them where they shop. And that’s exactly what happened next. Nothing recently plans to significantly expand its presence in retail in the United States Best Buy. The threat of American consumers turning to physical hardware is a more serious threat to Apple and Samsung’s dominance than any Instagram video could ever be.
Android Central’s Take
We desperately need to keep the titans from getting lazy in the smartphone space, and more quirky, transparent hardware on store shelves is an undeniable win for shoppers tired of the same glass rectangles. But flashing LED lights and elegant dot-matrix font won’t magically break the iron grip of iMessage, AirDrop, and the Apple Watch ecosystem. Pei can stand up to his fans all he wants, but until nothing builds an ecosystem of services that lock users in like Apple’s walled garden, this “war” is just a brilliant marketing ploy.
