“It’s just a display, right?”

(The article was published on April 8, 2022.)

“It’s just a display, right?”

Since the launch of Atmoph Window on Kickstarter, we’ve heard this countless times, often with the added nuance of “but it’s so expensive.” As a development team, we feel frustrated, but at the same time, it’s somewhat understandable that people might have this impression as their first reaction to the product.

What I find particularly interesting is that the history of developing Atmoph Window has actually been focused on aspects that aren’t about the display itself—features that don’t appear on the specs sheet. And I believe that the people who love Atmoph Window probably appreciate those unique qualities, too (I like to think so, anyway!)

The parts that aren’t the display

Take the hardware, for example. It’s designed to fit perfectly against the wall so it can be recognized as a window. It’s easy to mount on the wall with hooks, and it can also stand on a desk. Since Atmoph Window is also a piece of interior design, it’s crafted to be visually appealing. The design of Atmoph Window 2 is by Ryota Yokozeki, and Atmoph Window Yo’s design is by acasso. The frame has been intentionally positioned to give a window-like feel, rather than just looking like a typical picture frame.

The software has also been refined based on user feedback. It changes to a scene according to the time of day (Limitless Auto feature) and can trigger apps like alarms or calendars to start or stop according to your daily routine (Daily Routine feature). Rather than making it possible to do a lot of things through user interaction, we aimed to create a system where you don’t have to do anything at all—just like a real window.

And of course, there’s the landscape library. The landscape videos are filmed exclusively for Atmoph by our in-house and partner videographers. These aren’t purchased from somewhere else. In order for the scene to be perceived as a view through a window, the video must remain still, the horizon should be natural, and the length needs to be about 15 minutes. Such a curated library doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world, and we continue to shoot and add new scenes every two weeks.

The concept of “a window”

There are many more things I’d like to talk about, but I’ll stop here (laughs). What I want to say is that the very concept of “a window” has had a positive influence across all areas of development, guiding the product along the way.

For example, being conscious that Atmoph Window is a “window” helped us resist the impulse to fill the screen with information. After all, nobody covers a window with sticky notes. While designs that fill the screen with information may seem convenient at first, they often require you to get close to read them (this is a general statement, not a criticism of any specific product), and they can be quite complicated. In contrast, the concept of a “window” has acted as a gravitational force, pulling the development team back to our starting point of enhancing daily life.

Another discovery has been the power of the structure that “there is a new world outside the window.” It might sound obvious, but by recognizing it as a window, you get the feeling that there’s a new world beyond it, and this brings a sense of openness and stimulates curiosity.

I believe this type of experience, even if just a little, has helped heal the loneliness of various people, brought small moments of excitement into daily life, and—if I may be bold—by exposing people to landscapes from different countries and regions, it may even contribute, little by little, to world peace.

The evolving window

We’re not creating a generic large tablet; we’re creating a smart window.

To everyone who has supported Atmoph’s concept by purchasing the product or subscribing to the Limitless plan, thank you so much. It’s because you voted for our activities that we’ve come this far, and we’ll be able to continue developing the product going forward.

There are still many things we could improve (apologies for that!), but we will continue developing the future of computing together with our users.

To everyone already using Atmoph Window, please make sure to show it off to your friends when they visit—tell them “this is amazing!”