2019 hasn’t been a good year for Essential. As CEO Andy Rubin continues to deal with things in his personal life, the company has struggled to sell devices, shipping only 88,000 units so far. Rubin has been engulfed in a sexual harassment scandal over the last couple of months after a bombshell report by the New York Times highlighted instances of gross sexual misconduct during his time at Google. Rubin denied these accusations but he was forced out of the company, getting a $90 million exit package in the process.
Fast forward almost a year later and Rubin is now back on Twitter, this time touting a brand-new device. There is obviously a lot of promise as to what this device can actually offer. But there is also the possibility that just maybe it will not be able to live up to expectations. Andy Rubin has also been sharing tantalizing photos of the new device via Twitter and giving fans a glimpse of what to expect. One thing we noted was the UI looks radically different from anything we have seen so far.
It looks like a collection of different widgets, each coming with a set of different apps. The new device is definitely a significant departure from the original Essential handset which failed to make any notable impact in the industry. The hope is that, with all the new features and a change in UI design, Essential will finally be able to make its mark in the market.
However, we are still not close to a possible release. A spokesman from the company confirmed that the device is in “early-stage testing” and it may take relatively more time for it to be ready for the market. Despite this, there are still a lot of questions that are yet to be answered. For example, will the new line of devices abandon the first-generation modular attachment system?
But it seems like one thing is clear. Essential is ready to move forward in its efforts to make and sell mobile devices. There were rumors that Rubin had abandoned plans to develop a line of devices and instead he was planning to sell Essential after the failures of the original devices. However, the fact that he is now sharing pictures of a potential new phone could suggest that perhaps he’s all in. We have not seen any specific dates of when Essential wants to release the phone to the general market. The only thing we know right now is that testing outside the lab is ongoing.
This is often the penultimate stage before a device is released but there is no knowing how much time the tests will take. Besides, other than the teasing photos and scanty details shared on Twitter by Rubin, there is still a lot about the device that remains a secret. Essential will, however, hope that this latest line of devices will do better compared to the original device that failed to reach the expected heights of success.
