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Google has suspended Project Ara modular phone says Reuters

by Mark Tyson on 2 September 2016, 11:01

Tags: Google (NASDAQ:GOOG)

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"Google has suspended Project Ara," according to two insider sources speaking to Reuters news agency. The move would be a dramatic twist in the modular smartphone's fate – as recently as May this year Google promised a dedicated division for Ara, a developer edition this autumn, then a full rollout in 2017. If the information from Reuters sources is correct then it will be a big disappointment for fans of modular electronic systems like Ara, and the PC.

At the end of Google I/O in May a revamped Project Ara was shown off with abilities such as module ejection via voice commands, hot swappable batteries, and Greybus software. However, Google had cut down the array of swappable modules from seven to six, and it had embedded the CPU in the 'endo' rather than making it a modular component

Since we first heard of Project Ara a couple of big smartphone firms have taken some of that modular magic, diluted it, and applied it to their smartphones. LG released the G5 with a couple of modular options, and Lenovo's Moto Z family offers a couple of hot-swappable magnetically attached accessories.

An analyst speaking to Reuters said he wasn't surprised by Google axing the project. Project Ara phones would be both bulky and expensive, thought analyst Bob O’Donnell of TECHnalysis Research. Another brake on Ara development is that Google is seeking to unify its hardware across ChromeBooks, tablets and Nexus phones – and Ara just doesn't fit in with that range, thinks Reuters.

Project Ara started from the Phonebloks group, was taken over by Motorola Advanced Technology and Projects group (ATAP), but kept by Google when it sold off Motorola to Lenovo. If the Reuters exclusive sources are correct this looks like the end for Ara, for now.

Ara promo video from just 3 months ago.

HEXUS Forums :: 5 Comments

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Posted by Ross1 - Fri 02 Sep 2016 11:32
Probably for the best. Modular phones dont really make a lot of sense. I mean modular laptops arent exactly a popular idea.

I kind of get maybe wanting a better camera to attach to your phone, or speakers, or a battery unit, or various things you might not want on your phone all the time. Fully modular simply is not practical for a phone. I buy a large full tower PC case and like to go crazy with my own creations in there (suspended hard drives, custom water cooling etc), but its a very different situation. Form is not a factor there.
Posted by sykobee - Fri 02 Sep 2016 11:46
Yeah, I don't think that phones was the best place for this ‘mobile backplane’ mechanism. I think the research was probably worth it, and the smarter mechanisms that LG and Lenovo have don't make your phone look like a child's toy. In the end once the SoC became part of the backplane, the major advantage of upgrading the core SoC for higher performance was gone.

Now a slide-out-to-replace display module on an otherwise static phone would be great for replacing broken phone screens (or upgrading resolution or display technology). Google - if anything survives, make it this.
Posted by Brian224 - Fri 02 Sep 2016 16:24
sykobee
Now a slide-out-to-replace display module on an otherwise static phone would be great for replacing broken phone screens (or upgrading resolution or display technology). Google - if anything survives, make it this.

I cannot see the industry supporting that idea unfortunately, even removable batteries are absent on some phones - whether to make them slimmer or to drive replacement sales depends on whether you are a manufacturer or user.
Posted by mtyson - Sat 03 Sep 2016 17:11
Cancellation confirmed by Google spokesperson, says VentureBeat.
Posted by crossy - Sat 03 Sep 2016 18:36
Brian224
sykobee
Now a slide-out-to-replace display module on an otherwise static phone would be great for replacing broken phone screens (or upgrading resolution or display technology). Google - if anything survives, make it this.

I cannot see the industry supporting that idea unfortunately, even removable batteries are absent on some phones - whether to make them slimmer or to drive replacement sales depends on whether you are a manufacturer or user.
Hmm, depends on who you believe - Apple (and others) claim that we the consumers insist on slimmer and slimmer phones, so that has to mean high levels of integration. Or the “tech hippies” who claim that it's all a business ploy to make absolutely sure that you have to buy a new device rather than repairing or refurbing that old one.

Personally I'm not pleased that Ara has been dropped, as it was an interesting concept to me. That said, I'd probably prefer something more mainstream (the Moto Z Force) than a full blown modular device. I hope though that Google's “whimping out” doesn't mean that the G5 and Z/ZForce will be the only modular phones we see.