Big white letters on a black screen, regular applause, speakers with meticulous speeches … No, this is not Apple's annual keynote but LEDGER Op3n, the cryptocurrency star's annual event dedicated to developers. The staging is not the only element that references the Apple brand. A few minutes after Pascal Gauthier's speech, CEO of the French unicorn that enables the securing of all kinds of digital assets (cryptos, NFTs, tokens...), it was the turn of Ian Rogers, its chief experience officer, to take the stage.
The former digital director of LVMH is also known to have passed through … Apple Music. However, the star of the event is not this tall blond man but Tony Fadell - a surprise guest - who is none other than the father of the iPod.
A new design
The 50-year-old unveiled the novelty of the French start-up that will be released in the first quarter of 2023: the Ledger Stax. Like its predecessors, the Nano Xthe Nano S, it allows for securing your digital assets. The design is, however, completely different. Gone is the small USB key and in its place is a kind of small smartphone the size of a card holder. The touch screen is similar to that of a Kindle rather than an iPhone.
Another special feature is that it is magnetized, allowing multiple Ledger Stax to be stacked. “Many users have several Nanos and don't know which one contains which assets. They have to be imaginative,” smiles Ian Rogers, behind whom are displayed pictures of users who have stuck stickers on their devices to differentiate them. Tony Fadell did not join Ledger as an employee but as an advisor. “When Ledger approached me two years ago, I wasn't sure if I would take the assignment because I hate gadgets. But I was very curious about the very secure technologies developed by Ledger,” he recounted on stage.
The importance of software
The Ledger Stax is part of the cryptocurrency star's strategy to do “with the wallet what Apple has done with the smartphone,” as Pascal Gauthier recently told some media. With this new product, Ledger hopes to attract more users - 6 million Ledgers have been sold worldwide since its inception in 2014 - and convince followers to switch to the Stax (which will cost $279, or $200 more than the classic Nano S).
The unicorn has diversified in recent years and created its mobile app called “Ledger Live,” which, among other things, allows you to buy and sell cryptocurrencies. This announcement comes as the cryptocurrency sector is shaken by the FTX scandal, the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange platform that went bankrupt in November.
Good news for Ledger, which has been breaking sales records ever since. “We have the most secure product in the world. Ledger has never been hacked,” Pascal Gauthier reminded the audience on stage, reminding them of Apple's fans. However, this vigilance was thwarted in 2020, when the company was hit by a major theft of customer data.
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