- A striking design for a potential Nothing book has emerged
- The design appears inspired by notable design elements from Apple and Nintendo
- While attractive, it is unlikely we will see a Nothing book any time soon
A striking concept design for a potential Nothing laptop (commonly referred to as the “Nothing book”) has emerged,
Conceived by designer Nikita Bukoros (@bukoros.design), the notebook form factor computer would sport both a secondary, low-fidelity display and a partially translucent chassis, which evokes memories of a great laptop from the past, but the approach is very different.
The design has been met with wide support among Nothing aficionados, many of whom have been waiting for a laptop from the UK-based smartphone and audio company since the possibility of a laptop was floated in 2024.
The Nothing book concept is giving iBook G3 Clamshell
A glance at the underside of Bukoros’ Nothing book render demonstrates a key callback to one of the most notable laptop designs of all time. Apple’s low-priced iBook series initially ran from 1999 to 2001 (succeeded by the G3 Snow), with Blueberry, Tangerine, Graphite, Indigo, and Key Lime options, the colors decorating both the outside of the Clamshell.
Portions of the iBook G3 Clamshell computers were translucent, offering a hint of the internals, but the Nothing book concept also resembles a translucent game console variant like the Game Boy Color “Atomic Purple” edition, and a modern gaming PC.
However, it is arguably the low-fidelity secondary display that makes this concept really stand out. While the Nothing phones initially launched with a collection of differently-shaped lights on the reverse – provided to relay various information, such as alerts, or charging status, to avoid you unlocking your device – this Glyph Interface has more recently been evolved into the Glyph Matrix.
Appearing on the Nothing Phone (3) is a disc-shaped matrix of 489 mini LEDs, while the Nothing Phone (4) is planned to sport a Glyph Bar of nine LEDs in a row. Reflecting these “instant information” displays, Nikita Bukoros has added an LED display on the top of his Nothing book concept, and envisages it as a configurable display for alerts and custom messages alike.
Will this encourage development of a genuine Nothing book?
While the idea of a Nothing book has been around for a while – with wish lists demanding everything from mechanical keyboards and minimal ports (which are included in Bukoros’ concept) – it appears to be wishful thinking.
Nothing appears to be fully focused on smartphones and the Nothing Ear and Nothing Headphone audio devices, and in 2025 spun its budget phone brand, CMF, into a standalone company. This does not suggest the business is considering expanding beyond its core market any time soon.
But if it does, Nikita Bukoros’ design is an excellent starting point.
