Teenage Engineering, a Stockholm-based music equipment design firm has recently been tapped by Nothing, an emerging consumer tech brand created by ex-OnePlus executive Carl Pei to work collaboratively on upcoming product releases. According to Pei, the design firm, which is one of the founding partners of Nothing, will support the new company’s design aesthetic.
Pei has reportedly stated that he has worked with Teenage Engineering previously, to develop a unique roadmap that is complementary to Nothing’s vision. The first product introduced by Nothing is a pair of wireless earbuds, which are set for launch in the summer of 2020, and are said to have taken certain design cues from Teenage Engineering’s M-1 headphones.
Nothing has revealed that the CEO and co-founder of Teenage Engineering, Jesper Kouthoofd, will act as creative lead, dubbing him as the visionary behind Nothing’s design world. Meanwhile, the vice head of design of Teenage Engineering, Tom Howard will now serve as the head of design for Nothing. Kouthoofd has apparently commented that following a long period of R&D efforts, the two companies are now at a place where they have an intriguing portfolio of products to show the world.
Products released by Teenage Engineering over the years include the radio/instrument/speaker hybrid the OB-4, with a built-in endless looping tape that allows for manual rewinding of any media played on the speaker, a series of $89 mini synths with retro Capcom titles, as well as the modular synthesizers released in 2020.
The first products from Nothing are reportedly set to release in the months ahead. Nothing has also shown excitement at launching products in the Indian market, and has made efforts towards this goal, primarily by roping in Manu Sharma as the VP and GM of Nothing India.
Apart from the new product launches, the firm is also involved in executing a community funding round as a part of its Series A funding, via a crowdfund campaign that has already garnered over 20,000 sign ups for early access and a registered interest of nearly $30 million.
Source Credit: https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/24/22298802/nothing-teenage-engineering-swedish-design-founding-partner-audio-headphones