Why trust Greenbot
Reuters reports that Google’s has shelved its plans to launch a modular smartphone under Project Ara. Under the project, Google wanted to create a smartphone a modular design that allowed for key components to be easily replaced.
Google had revealed at Google I/O earlier this year that the developer unit edition of Project Ara would ship later this year.
Alphabet Inc’s Google has suspended Project Ara, its ambitious effort to build what is known as a modular smartphone with interchangeable components, as part of a broader push to streamline the company’s hardware efforts, two people with knowledge of the matter said.
While Google might have shelved the project, the report states that Google might work with partners to bring some of the technology that it developed for Project Ara to the market through licensing agreements.
Project Ara has been in development for the last three years, and apart from some press images and teasers, we never saw a fully working prototype. Over time, the team also ended up integrating the screen and chipset into the device that reduced its modularity.
This move from Google is being pushed by Rick Osterloh who is streamlining the company’s hardware efforts.
[Via Reuters]
