Carl Pei says Nothing could build its own operating system
Two mobile operating systems currently comprise nearly 100% of the global smartphone market.
Two mobile operating systems currently comprise nearly 100% of the global smartphone market. Building one is hard, and for most phone makers, there are better uses of resources, especially when Android is right there for the taking. While it’s a potential differentiator, these companies have largely opted to maintain Google’s mobile OS, customized by skins and unique features.
Huawei recently bucked the trend with the release of Harmony OS, though that was a direct product of geopolitical restrictions on using American products. Despite its massive resources, however, the Chinese electronics giant struggled tremendously as it scrambled to build its own Android alternative.
Given its penchant for shaking up the market, perhaps it’s not wholly surprising that London-based Nothing could build its own mobile OS from the ground up. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 on Wednesday, founder and CEO Carl Pei confirmed that the company is exploring what a true Nothing OS could look like.
Pei praised smartphones as “our most important gateway to the people we care about and the information we need to consume,” while criticizing the industry’s Google/Apple duopoly.
“We’re thinking about how we maneuver here,” he added, “and maybe create something of our own. Some kind of operating system.”
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