Google suspends modular smartphone project

Alphabet Inc'sGoogle has suspended Project Ara, its ambitious effort to buildwhat is known as a modular smartphone with interchangeablecomponents, as part of a broader push to streamline thecompany's hardware efforts, two people with knowledge of thematter said.

The move marks an about-face for the tech company, whichannounced a host of partners for Project Ara at its developerconference in May and said it would ship a developer edition ofthe product this autumn.

The company's aim was to create a phone that users couldcustomize on the fly with an extra battery, camera, speakers orother components.

A spokeswoman for Google declined to comment on the matter.

While Google will not be releasing the phone itself, thecompany may work with partners to bring Project Ara's technologyto market, potentially through licensing agreements, one of thepeople with knowledge of the matter said.

Axing Project Ara is one of the first steps in a campaign tounify Google's various hardware efforts, which range from
Chromebook laptops to Nexus phones. Former Motorola presidentRick Osterloh rejoined Google earlier this year to oversee theeffort. Google sold Motorola Mobility to Lenovo Group in 2014.

Bulky and costly to produce

Modular smartphones have generated great enthusiasm in thetech community for their potential to prolong the lifespan of adevice and reduce electronic waste. But the devices aredifficult to bring to market because their interchangeable partsmake them bulky and costly to produce, said analyst BobO'Donnell of TECHnalysis Research, adding that he was notsurprised to see Google halt the project.

"This was a science experiment that failed, and they aremoving on," he said.

Project Ara was one of the flagship efforts of Google'sAdvanced Technology and Projects group, which aims to developnew devices, but it had various stops and starts.

Last year, the company shelved plans to sell the modularphone in Puerto Rico with Latin American carriers.