Nothing has unveiled its new app store, Playground, showcasing user-generated, AI-created applications. While the announcement is framed as a move towards an “AI-native operating system,” it’s noteworthy that Playground is built on the Android framework. However, it presents a promising vision for personalizing smartphone experiences, hinting at a future where devices are more adaptable to individual preferences.
The concept of an AI-native platform is linked to the launch of Essential. According to Carl Pei, founder and CEO of Nothing, this branding represents the company’s commitment to AI-focused products. While Essential’s unveiling strives to indicate a transformative technology, it actually encompasses existing tools like an AI-powered search function and Essential Space, designed for managing voice memos and images.
Playground stands out as a key innovation. It serves as an app store where users can create applications through Essential Apps, a tool that uses AI to generate apps based on user prompts. This capability allows users to produce apps tailored to their specific needs, such as a mood tracker linked to a music playlist or an app that recommends outfits based on weather and calendar events.
Pei envisions Playground as the foundation for a much broader ecosystem. Currently, users can create only simple widgets, which limits functionality. The app design process occurs on a web platform via text prompts, and the resulting applications can be installed on Nothing phones or added to the Playground for others to access. Presently, this service is exclusive to Nothing devices, with the Phone 1 exempted due to its lack of major updates.
Pei anticipates that app creation will eventually evolve to be more intuitive, possibly allowing for direct voice interaction on the handheld device. He also envisions widgets as just the beginning, with future applications potentially occupying full-screen space similar to traditional mobile apps.
This initiative could cultivate a new creator economy, particularly if the concept gains traction. Playground enables users to adapt and remix apps developed by others, fostering an iterative community akin to current open-source projects. Though Pei acknowledges the competitive landscape of established app stores by Apple and Google, he expresses that monetization strategies for the store are not a priority for now. “I think it needs to reach a certain level of scale before we can turn on whatever business model we have,” he suggests, citing YouTube as a potential model for future creator monetization.
Looking ahead, Pei foresees a future where smartphones could proactively reorganize applications or recommend new ones based on user habits. While this points towards a more adaptive interface, he clarifies that this does not equate to developing a new operating system. “The term ‘OS’ can have various interpretations,” he notes.
In his conversation with Technology News, Pei emphasized that Nothing will continue to collaborate with Android, the core system for their offerings. “We’re not altering the underlying code,” he stated, praising Android for its robust developer ecosystem. Users will still require traditional apps, such as Instagram or TikTok, upon setting up their devices.
The introduction of Playground marks a potentially transformative step towards fostering a new creator economy in the tech landscape. However, Pei acknowledges that the journey to achieving this vision is just beginning. He remains committed to the smartphone as an essential tool for the foreseeable future, candidly expressing, “When am I ready to say goodbye to apps? Not anytime soon.”
