Transparent tech is everywhere. Nothing brought it back from the brink, and since then, it's been seen on everything from power bricks to headphones and everything in between.
It's becoming ever more popular then — but I think it sucks. From the moment it comes out of the box, it starts accumulating muck and grime from every which where. Until the moment it finally goes directly into the trash, when it looks like it's been through the wars.
It just gets gross
Apparently, we might've even got transparent AirPods cases if this leak of an old EVT (or Engineering Validation Test), posted on X by @LusiRoy8, is to believed. And I can see the same issues arriving here as I do with all transparent tech.
Airpods prototype EVT pic.twitter.com/0ablYT0MV4April 10, 2025
Look at all those little nooks and crannies that dust, grime and other assorted detritus could get stuck in. They'd look grim within a femtosecond — and who wants that?
I've got some of Nothings best wireless earbuds, and they're great in terms of feature set, comfort and sound. I really like them! But all of them now look significantly worse off for their time spent in my pockets than anything else that I own.
Don't get me wrong, there's something cool about seeing the interior of your tech, from the battery to the circuit board. But I'd rather that didn't come at the cost of my tech being useable for more than a day.
A nostalgic thing?
I still remember my transparent Xbox controller from all those years ago. You could see the movement of the analog sticks, where the wire connected to the circuit board. For 7-year-old me, it was the coolest thing ever.
But I've grown up. I've realized that I have to keep my gadgets clean and that transparent products, be they a pair of earbuds or a snazzy game controller, are much harder to clean than those you can't see through.
Non-transparent tech can go longer between cleans because it doesn't show the dirt as much. Heck, even white gadgets are better for not getting grimy than transparent models.
And don't get me started on all the scratches that show up and ruin the effect. In a vacuum, transparent tech is cool. But my pocket isn't a vacuum — it's got lint in it. And bits of tissue from when I forgot to take it out in the wash.
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