Apple’s Former CEO Built a Very Impressive Cheap New Phone

4 minute read

Since stepping down as Apple’s CEO in 1993, John Sculley has become one of the technology industry’s top spokespeople, while also serving as a mentor to many business leaders and startups. Sculley, who Apple lured away from PepsiCo in 1983, is also a world traveler, and over the past two decades has spent much time in India, Africa, and parts of Asia. During his travels, Sculley witnessed first-hand the rise of a new middle class whose spending is driving economic growth across parts of the developing world.

All that growth means a desire for new technologies. Even in some of the poorest countries, Sculley observed, there is now high demand for smartphones and wireless connectivity. Our research, for instance, shows that about 2.8 billion people in the world have some kind of mobile handset, while we expect another 1 billion to buy smartphones for the first time over the next three to four years.

But Sculley believes most of the world’s relatively cheap, $150-or-less smartphones aren’t very good. He and his partners began to wonder if there was a way to make a high-quality smartphone while keeping prices at $200 or below for buyers who wanted a better product at lower prices. So Sculley set out to work on a new brand called Obi Worldphone, and, along with famed designer and fellow Apple alum Robert Brunner of Ammunition, built what became the Obi Worldphone SF1 and SJ1.5.

The idea behind the Worldphone lineup was to create no-compromise smartphones designed in Silicon Valley using top-tier components but sold for under $200. The end result took two forms: The SF1 is an elegant fiberglass-body Android smartphone with metal trip, sporting a five-inch screen, an eight-core Qualcomm 614 processor, a Sony-made camera and Dolby sound. The 16GB model goes for $199, while the 32GB costs $249. The SJ.1.5 is a lower-end device that supports wireless networks no faster than 3G, and sells for $129.

The end result — and I’m talking about the higher-end SF1 here — is what I believe to be the best Android phone under $200, and probably one of the best-designed Android phones at any price.

Top 10 Tech Product Designs of 2014

Nest Acquired by Google in Jan. 2014, Nest Labs wants to turn your home into a smart device. The home automation system includes Internet-connected smoke detectors and thermostats, which have screens and chic, round designs — a huge design boost for devices that haven't really changed in recent decades. Aya Brackett—Nest
DJI Inspire 1 The latest DJI quadcopter retains the simple style that's made their drones so popular, but adds 4K video capability — and the ability to transmit the HD video wirelessly to an on-the-ground devices. A new ground-facing camera also allows Inspire 1 to fly steadily to keep the video footage clean.
DJI Inspire 1 The latest DJI quadcopter retains the simple style that's made their drones so popular, but adds 4K video capability — and the ability to transmit the HD video wirelessly to an on-the-ground devices. A new ground-facing camera also allows Inspire 1 to fly steadily to keep the video footage clean.DJI
iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Bigger is better, or so the critics cried, calling for Apple to make a supersized phone. That was before Apple quieted them with the release of the iPhone 6 Plus in September, the company’s largest iPhone ever. With an alluring 5.5-inch display that makes it feel something like a portable iPad, the phone is is a challenge to Samsung’s larger models. Along with a powerful 8-megapixel camera and longer battery life, the phone is more a statement than an answer.Apple
Osmo Tangram
Osmo Tangram Tired of seeing your kids staring at screens like zombies? This iPad game brings virtual play to life. A reflector equipped with artificial intelligence snaps over your iPad's camera and can sense when objects are moving (or being drawn) on a pad in front of it. Osmo comes with three games, all of which promote creativity and—because it’s best played in groups—social intelligence. The best way to understand how Osmo works is by watching the video of kids who have never played with the device before testing it out for the first time.Osmo
Tesla 2014 Model S Tesla 2014 Model S has been praised both for its luxury feel and high-tech interior. The electric car offers instantaneous acceleration from a stop, a function very few other cars on the market provide. Tesla
Jawbone's Up3 wristband
Jawbone's UP3 Wristband Depending on your view, Jawbone is on the road to making us all super fit athletes or brutally efficient cyborgs who operate by data alone. How many minutes of REM sleep did I get last night? What’s the difference between my heart rate while resting and during a workout? How hydrated am I? How many calories did I burn on my last run? Jawbone UP3 answers all those questions better than any other Jawbone did before. The $179 wearable fits on your wrist and comes in black and silver.Jawbone
Square Stand The iPad holder and credit card reader launched last year with the goal of transforming an iPad into a point-of-sale. The sleek, white stand also offers an enhanced credit card reader, and can be adapted to include a cash register.Square
Nerf Rebelle Rapid Red Blaster
Nerf Rebelle Rapid Red Blaster Last year, Nerf decided to even the battlefield and create a new line of guns, arrows and crossbows specifically for girls. The resulting Nerf Rebelle line takes a cue from the success of The Hunger Games: The box is covered with tweens styled like that series' hero, Katniss Everdeen.Hasbro
Oculus Rift Crescent Bay The latest Oculus Rift prototype, Crescent Bay, marks one step further before the commercial release of the virtual reality handset. Crescent Bay features upgrades like 360-degree head tracking, a lighter weight, and high-quality audio. Lucky participants in the demos recalled the mind-boggling immersion in the scenes they were watching. The consumer version, Oculus Rift, is expected to launch as early as April 2015.
Oculus Rift Crescent Bay The latest Oculus Rift prototype, Crescent Bay, marks one step further before the commercial release of the virtual reality handset. Crescent Bay features upgrades like 360-degree head tracking, a lighter weight, and high-quality audio. Lucky participants in the demos recalled the mind-boggling immersion in the scenes they were watching. The consumer version, Oculus Rift, is expected to launch as early as April 2015.Oculus VR
Qualcomm WiPower Sick of tangled phone charging cables? Qualcomm WiPower allows you to power up your phone without plugging it in — a function that, to most people, is basically magic. The wireless charging pad eliminates the fuss of power chords, while also allowing you to turn everyday furniture like tables and chairs into charging surfaces.Qualcomm

Sculley’s crew at Obi believes the market for smartphones in the U.S., Europe, and even China are largely saturated, so their first target markets will be Nigeria, South Africa, Vietnam, Turkey and Pakistan. What I find most interesting about Obi is that, like Apple, it views design as a critical element of whatever products they create. But unlike Apple, Obi holds that viewpoint while striving to keep its devices cheap.

“Apple is a design-led company,” Sculley told me recently over lunch. “We’ve said we want to be a design-led company, in an entirely different market than Apple would ever go into.”

There’s plenty of competition for low-end Android headsets. Companies like Xiaomi and Huawei are the pride of China, while India’s MicroMax is making a name for itself as well. But Obi’s design-focused mentality could help it stand out in this increasingly crowded market.

It’s too early to tell if Obi and its Worldphone will find any kind of success. But Sculley is a world-class marketer. With the right team, great distribution deals and a powerful product like the SF1, Obi could end up a powerful player in a potentially massive market.

Tim Bajarin is recognized as one of the leading industry consultants, analysts and futurists, covering the field of personal computers and consumer technology. Mr. Bajarin is the President of Creative Strategies, Inc and has been with the company since 1981 where he has served as a consultant providing analysis to most of the leading hardware and software vendors in the industry.

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com