Description of the Nothing Phone: “Designed with intention. Full of warmth. And joy.”
“… the phone has illuminating light strips on the rear of the phone, which appears to be made from transparent material.” The Verge, “Nothing reveals Phone 1 design a month early”
“… Nothing’s phone looks kind of different. So no matter what happens with the rest of the phone, mission accomplished there… Is this different enough looking to actually work?” Marques Brownlee, “The Nothing Phone LOOKS Different”
Technology for the sake of technology, and a desperate attempt at appearing original in the commoditized tech market. Equivalent to putting flashing LEDs on a bottle of baby powder.
The most embarrassing part of this product is its relationship with Teenage Engineering, a synthesizer-turned-consumer-electronics company whose originating style was joy; now they’ve put their energies into minimalist/monolithic design philosophies that end up with plastic and metal cubes—a veritable widget maker. Even if Teenage Engineering only helped design Nothing’s plastic earbuds, the end result is the same: A gimmick of transparent plastic. Both products appear to be part of the same design camp: Catch the eye, worry about functionality later.
Nowadays, either the artist has been equipped with a factory, or the factory has become the artist. Hence, industrial design.
“If you are already solving your problem with the equipment you have – a pencil, say – why solve it with something more expensive and more damaging? If you don’t have a problem, why pay for a solution? If you love the freedom and elegance of simple tools, why encumber yourself with something complicated?” Wendell Berry, “Why I Am Not Going to Buy A Computer”