Nothing has been tight-lipped regarding its upcoming ear (1) wireless earbuds, but thanks to a new TechCrunch interview with Nothing founder Cal Pei, we have a few more details. The plan was to release something with similar features to the AirPods Pro, but for a more consumer-friendly price of $99. According to Pei, the company will be able to keep the price of the ear (1) earbuds down primarily by focusing on direct online sales (i.e. selling directly to the consumer). As TechCrunch points out, there are wireless earbuds currently available for even less than $99, however they don’t offer high-end features like noise cancellation. Conversely, the ear (1) earbuds will use three high-definition microphones to provide active noise cancellation. Despite the intended high-end features, Pei says that, of all things, making the ear (1) earbuds translucent has been the biggest hurdle. “It turns out, there’s a reason why there’s not a lot of transparent consumer tech products out there,” Pei told TechCrunch. “You need to ensure that everything inside looks just as good as the outside.” This has resulted in several design iterations for the ear (1) earbuds as Nothing tries out various materials that are both sturdy and unobtrusive. From finding the right kind of magnets to sourcing glue that’s solid but won’t disrupt the visual design, it’s been a very involved process. We’ll have to wait until July 27 to find out if Nothing’s ambitions pan out.
