Project Ara, Google’s attempt at a modular smartphone, may have just been put on ice indefinitely as Reuters is reporting that the tech giant has suspended the project as part of a broader push to streamline the company’s hardware efforts.
First announced as a fully modular smartphone, Project Ara has not gone exactly to plan as Google has envisioned it to be. The smartphone has seen numerous setbacks, from removing the ability to customize the interior components of the phone, to a delay in the initial 2015 launch plans. At Google I/O 2016, Google did mention that developer versions of the Ara were supposed to be available in the coming months, but with this report, it appears that Ara as a whole might not see the daylight.
While the news of Google discontinuing the Ara is disappointing, Ara may not be entirely dead. Google may not be releasing the phone itself, but the company may work with partners to bring the technology developed for Project Ara to the market through licensing agreements. With semi-modular smartphones such as the Moto Z now available in the market, the technology gained from Project Ara may be put to good use by other companies.
Source: Reuters