The two mobile operating systems currently comprise nearly 100% of the global smartphone market. Building one is difficult, and for many phone makers, there are better uses of resources, especially if Android is there to take it. Although there may be differences, these companies have largely chosen to keep Google’s mobile OS, customized with unique skins and features.
Huawei recently ended this trend with the release of Harmony OS, although that was a direct product of geopolitical restrictions on using American products. Despite its vast resources, however, the Chinese electronics giant struggled mightily as it tried to build a different Android.
Given its penchant for shaking up the market, it’s perhaps not entirely surprising that London-based Nothing would 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,” while criticizing the Google/Apple industry duopoly.
“We’re thinking about the way we’re going here,” he added, “and maybe we’ll create something of our own.” Some kind of operating system. “
The goals of such a move would be to expand Nothing’s impact on the industry, while creating an entirely new revenue stream.
“Now you can make an impact on the software side,” Pei explained. “You can change the way people use their devices. On the business side, it’s also very profitable. In some ways, it is bad to be a hardware company, because of the supply chain, high capex, low margins, and high risk of product market equity. In many ways, having a particular software advantage is very simple: high margins. But I think the most important thing is still to satisfy the consumer.”
The founder said he thinks the process of building a portable OS has become much easier, thanks to the recent AI boom. Such technology would also go a long way in providing a level of customization that has been lacking in existing platforms.
“If you think about the technology stack of what an OS is, I don’t think we need to work on the bottom parts of the stack – the drivers and how the hardware connects to the software and the kernel,” Pei added. “I don’t think we need to work on that, but we have to work on innovating the user experience, because apps haven’t really changed in 40 years. These computers, smartphones, and these devices have a lot of information about us. We do a lot for them, but they don’t use any of that information to make the experience better.”
Asked if the company wanted to propose to build such a project, Pei declined to comment.
“I don’t think there needs to be a lot of experience,” he said. This is using AI, this is not a base. We don’t build skills, we don’t train large language models, we don’t build text-to-speech or anything like that. That ship has sailed, and it will have a lot of competition. Two or three players will win big and others will lose money.”
Pei continues, “whether the funding comes or not, it’s something we can work on.”
AI can be an important part of such an operating system, he explained, but not the be-all, end-all.
“We shouldn’t call it an AI app,” he said. “AI is just a tool, and ultimately it comes down to who can make the best product, can create the right market, get the highest user satisfaction. Because if there isn’t that, it won’t work.”
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