# 100: Embodied Energy

- Show: [Thoroughly Considered](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered)
- Published: 2023-07-02
- Length: 1h 09m
- Episode: 100
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2023-07-02-100-embodied-energy
- Listen: http://relay.fm/tc/100

## Summary

Dan Provost and Tom Gerhardt of Studio Neat reflect on the company's history, discussing the pivot from the failed Obi Kickstarter to their current focus on durable tools like the Mark 1 and the newly launched Mark 3 mechanical pencil. They analyze the strategic risks of building hardware dependent on Apple's ecosystem, such as MagSafe docks, and debate the sustainability of reusable mug programs versus single-use packaging. The episode also features a deep dive into the Apple Vision Pro, with Myke Hurley sharing his impressions of spatial computing, pass-through video quality, and the device's potential for content consumption versus productivity.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2023-07-02-100-embodied-energy#t=7) Introduction and Show History
- [1:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2023-07-02-100-embodied-energy#t=102) Studio Neat's Pivot from Obi to Tools
- [3:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2023-07-02-100-embodied-energy#t=203) Apple's Motorized Dock API and Ecosystem Risk
- [14:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2023-07-02-100-embodied-energy#t=885) Dan Provost's Monitor and Mac Studio Purchase
- [17:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2023-07-02-100-embodied-energy#t=1074) Apple Vision Pro: Spatial Computing and Demos
- [41:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2023-07-02-100-embodied-energy#t=2480) Vision Pro: Pass-Through Video and Graphics
- [56:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2023-07-02-100-embodied-energy#t=3362) Sustainability: Reusable Mugs vs. Embodied Energy
- [1:04:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2023-07-02-100-embodied-energy#t=3872) Studio Neat Mark 3 Mechanical Pencil Launch

## Topics

- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Studio Neat (company)
- Obi (product)
- Mark 1 (product)
- Mark 3 (product)
- Apple Vision Pro (product)
- Apple Studio Display (product)
- Mac Studio (product)
- MagSafe (product)
- Relay FM (company)
- Pop Socket (product)
- Dell (company)
- Meta (company)
- Quest Pro (product)
- Next VR (company)
- Starbucks (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [iFixit’s Shahram Mokhtari on the hidden design of modern electronics, CES-week manufacturing headlines, and a Reconstruction of Juicero, the $700 connected juicer that defined over-engineering.](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2026-01-06-ifixits-shahram-mokhtari-on-the-hidden-design-of-modern-electronics-ces-week-man) (Go/No-Go)
- [Upgradable, Durable, and Greener Laptops for Reducing CO2 Emissions with Nirav Patel, Ceo and Founder of Framework](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-03-16-upgradable-durable-and-greener-laptops-for-reducing-co2-emissions-with-nirav-pat) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [131: Why Doing Good with Your Hardware Product Matters](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-07-06-131-why-doing-good-with-your-hardware-product-matters) (Product Startup)
- [483: There Are Two Wolves Inside Me…](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2025-05-16-483-there-are-two-wolves-inside-me) (Making It)
- [Afterschool Podcast, Episode 5 - StudioNeat (9/16)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2013-11-04-afterschool-podcast-episode-5-studioneat-9-16) (Core77 Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2023-07-02-100-embodied-energy. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Thoroughly Considered.